


Out of the Woods

by buzzybeeforever



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, M/M, Next-Gen, Not Cursed Child Compliant, Slow Build, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-17
Updated: 2018-03-31
Packaged: 2018-07-15 14:52:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 57
Words: 235,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7226932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buzzybeeforever/pseuds/buzzybeeforever
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Albus Potter has always tried his hardest to live up to his family's name, whereas Scorpius Malfoy has always tried his hardest not to. When they arrive at Hogwarts, they are determined to have nothing to do with one another. What happens when these two opposites collide and realise they may not be so different from each other after all?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Before Hogwarts

**Author's Note:**

> welcome to this next gen story that started out two years ago as a nice series of one shots, but which last year for NaNoWriMo became this absolute beast of a story. it's already up on fanfiction.net but i got told i should post it on here too, so here you are! this story really begins in sixth year, but there are a few chapters detailing events leading up to it. enjoy :)

Albus Severus Potter had always been the odd one out in his family, ever since he could remember. For starters, there was his name, which in time even his father had come to regret, having taken the time to evaluate all of the choices and decisions Snape had made. His mother had never been fond of the name, and made that quite clear, but as it was only her son’s middle name, she reasoned that no one would ever have to know it at all. Whatever anybody thought of the name, there was no denying that it set Albus apart from the rest of his family.

Of course, his name wasn’t the only thing that set him apart. There was no denying that his whole family was obsessed with Quidditch; his mother had been a professional Quidditch player and was now an esteemed sports journalist for the Daily Prophet; his father had been on the Gryffindor team in his first year and still dragged his mostly enthusiastic children to a match whenever he could get the time off work; his older brother, James, was on the Gryffindor Quidditch team as a Beater despite only being in his second year; and his younger sister, Lily, only ever wanted to talk about Quidditch, and there was no doubt in anyone’s mind about her joining the Quidditch team when she went to Hogwarts. And then there was Albus.

He had always hated Quidditch, and he had been certain of it ever since he first knew what Quidditch was. He had his own broomstick, a tenth birthday present from a father still in denial, but it was mostly left in the shed to gather dust unless James managed to twist his arm enough and force him to join in the family games they played when they went round to their grandma Weasley’s house. Even then he preferred to referee, since there was slightly less chance he would be knocked unconscious by a stray Quaffle, or even a deliberate one if James had anything to do with it.

Yet it was somehow more than that. He loved his family deeply and with all of his heart, but admittedly there were very few of them that he actually enjoyed spending time with. His cousin Rose was his best friend, which he felt more than a little pathetic admitting, but he just felt awkward and out of place among his other cousins, as thanks to James and Fred, he was frequently the butt of their jokes and pranks.

When Albus turned eleven, only a few days before Christmas, his mother and father sat him down in the living room, having bribed Lily and James to be elsewhere with the promise of sweets, and explained to him exactly what had happened to them during the second Wizarding War and why it was so important that it must never be forgotten. Albus knew he should have felt proud of his parents, and he did, but mostly all he felt was a crippling fear that he would never be able to live up to their magnificent achievements.

Luckily, that feeling was partly forgotten a few days later when he received his Hogwarts acceptance letter. The thrill of knowing he would be attending the best Wizarding School in the world was incomparable to anything he had ever felt before. Most of all it was the sense of being a part of something much bigger than himself, of joining a place where he could finally break away from his family’s name and become his own person at last.

Right now, he was Albus Severus Potter, the son of the saviour of the Wizarding World, and it marred the opinion of every witch or wizard who had ever met him. To them, he wasn’t just Albus, he was Albus Potter, son of Harry Potter, and everyone expected great things of him. To them, he wasn’t just Albus Potter, he was Albus Dumbledore’s namesake, and so everyone expected marvellous things of him. Truth be told, he was just an ordinary wizard, and all he wanted was for other people to finally realise it.

It was just before James returned to Hogwarts after the Christmas holidays that the teasing started. James Sirius Potter was a perfect Gryffindor in countless ways. From the effortlessly cheeky sense of humour that got him into trouble more often than not, to the easy confidence he exuded at being the son of the famous and celebrated Harry Potter. Unlike Albus, he took it all in his stride, and liked to brag about being the most popular boy in his house, much to Albus’ chagrin – he was only in his second year, after all. There was also his effortless intelligence, as shown by the contrast between his excellent grades and the number of behaviour reports he had received. He never got into too much trouble of course, as that was simply who he was, as everybody said, even his own parents.

The teasing had started with a simple and innocent question, as it often did if you were part of the Potter household and your name just happened to be Albus. The three siblings were relaxing in the living room, Albus with a book he had received for Christmas, James frantically throwing things into a suitcase, and Lily shining her new broomstick. James grabbed his Gryffindor scarf, emblazoned in scarlet and gold, from the sofa, considering it carefully before winding it around his neck.

“James,” Albus asked innocently, “What’s it like being in Gryffindor?”

“Well,” He began, “it’s the best house in the school, so obviously it’s the best feeling in the world. Not that you’ll need to worry about it, since you’ll be sorted into Slytherin,” He shrugged as he zipped up his suitcase and kicked it so it lay in the doorway leading into the hall.

“What?” Albus demanded, getting to his feet angrily, his book falling forgotten to his feet, “I’m not going to be in Slytherin!”

“You keep telling yourself that, little brother,” James said, rising up from the floor and leaving the room with a wink in Albus’ direction, dragging his trunk behind him.  
“I’m not going to be in Slytherin! I’m not!” Albus shouted, stomping his feet in frustration even though it was childish of him, just about managing to dodge his book. Lily, wise beyond her years, simply raised an eyebrow and continued her polishing in silence.

From then on, James was back at Hogwarts, and so for the time being, the teasing had stopped. The fear, however, remained inside of him. Albus wanted to bring the subject up with his father, but he wasn’t sure he was quite ready to hear what he would have to say. After all, his dad was the perfect example of what it meant to be in Gryffindor house, the epitome of bravery and courage and standing up for what’s right. Albus considered that being too afraid to broach the subject meant he surely didn’t belong in Gryffindor, and that thought terrified him so much that he vowed never to think on it again, a resolution that didn’t last long.

The rest of the year passed by much more quietly, as luckily he and Lily did get along very well. It was almost impossible to dislike Lily, even though she did have a penchant for wittering on about Quidditch for hours on end. Like Albus, she wasn’t overly boisterous, and never felt she had to be the centre of attention. She was always willing to listen, and as a result put up with many conversations over the course of the year about which house he really belonged in.

Personally, Lily didn’t think it mattered which house a person was sorted into. The way she saw it, your house was the place you slept, earned points for, and played Quidditch for, but in the grand old scheme of things it didn’t really matter all that much at all. What mattered most was who you were as a person and the qualities you possessed, and even that rarely depended on house. There were altruistic people in Slytherin and cowardly people in Gryffindor and more than anything, people needed to stop seeing the world in purely black and white and start considering that life really works in shades of grey. Not that she ever told anyone but Albus or Rose what she thought.

By the time summer rolled around, Albus had more or less forgotten his fears and insecurities of which house he would be sorted into, but with summer came James’ return from Hogwarts and a fresh new batch of teasing and petty insults, most of which was about Albus being sorted into Slytherin. James had always been observant and good at reading people and their insecurities, and he loved to exploit it when Albus was involved, as he was just so easily rattled.

It wasn’t at all that James was a bad person; when it came down to it, he was genuinely good and cared about other people, his little brother included. He just loved to rile people up, something which hadn’t changed as he had gotten older. His best friend was his cousin Fred Weasley, who, having grown up in a joke shop, was no stranger to practical jokes, and the pair of them got into no end of trouble, both at Hogwarts and at the many Weasley-Potter family gatherings.

Luckily, Albus had Lily to count on, not to mention his favourite cousin Rose. Like Albus, she lived in London, with her younger brother Hugo and her parents, and Albus would make any excuse to go and see her. Like him, she was rather quiet and introverted, so the pair of them could easily sit in amiable silence for hours on end, giving Albus a much needed break and a chance to forget all of his troubles, petty as they were since he was only eleven years old.

A couple of weeks into the summer holidays, the Potter family went to Diagon Alley so that Albus could buy all of his supplies and finally get a wand, and so that James could pick up his new school books for the year ahead. Lily came only on the premise that she could get something from Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes.

It was a blazing hot day, the hottest of the year so far, the kind where the air seemed to hang heavily like a blanket over the winding streets lined with people fanning themselves desperately in the shade, though a few witches and wizards had made use of cooling down spells. Even then, it was almost disgustingly hot.

Albus and his parents drudged through shop after shop in almost a daze, with fervent hopes of returning quickly to their nicely air conditioned house in Grimmauld Place. It was just after leaving Ollivander’s, Albus clasping his new wand proudly, if a little sweatily, that his father stopped dead in the middle of the doorway, emerald eyes wide behind his spectacles. He looked around quickly and realised that others on the street were pointing and whispering at something just out of sight.

The crowd parted then and Albus followed his father’s gaze to a little family of three wandering along a little further down the street, all of them seemingly far too aware of the many eyes trained on them. The father had receding blonde hair and a pointed chin, the mother a tangle of brown curls. The man’s son, who walked with his hand clasped tightly to his mother’s, looked almost exactly like his father, apart from the softer features he had clearly inherited from his mother. After a few seconds had passed of Albus watching the trio curiously, he looked back at his mother, who looked almost as dumbfounded.

“What are they doing here?” She asked, reaching for her husband’s hand almost unconsciously, as it was a clear source of comfort for her.

“I don’t know,” Harry admitted, squeezing Ginny’s hand, “but they’ve got some nerve showing their faces around here after nearly twenty years.”

Albus stared back at the little family, confused. To him they looked like a perfectly ordinary family. The boy had spotted the pet shop and was dragging his mother towards it eagerly, as his father shook his head and laughed, following the pair of them. Within seconds, the little family was obscured by the milling crowd, though Albus couldn’t help but notice that quite a few almost angry glares followed them.

On his parents’ insistence, they left not long later. Albus was glad to be back at home and out of the oppressive heat, but the mystery still remained – who were they? And why had they rattled his usually unshakeable parents so much? Admittedly, there was still a lot he had yet to learn about his family’s past, but it had been nearly twenty years, after all!

He and his siblings were wise enough to wait a couple of days before bringing the topic up at the dinner table, and rather surprisingly it was Albus who brought it up, as he simply couldn’t bear not knowing a moment longer.

“Dad, who were those people in Diagon Alley the other day?” He blurted out, unable to contain the burning question a moment longer. Lily raised her eyebrow at him over her stir fry and James just stared at him, his fork stuck halfway to his mouth, which stayed open for a few seconds before he realised what he was doing and closed it.

“I suppose I should’ve told you myself, but since you’ve asked, I’ll tell you,” Harry pushed his glasses back up his nose and then ran his hand absently through his messy black hair, revealing the scar he preferred to keep hidden.

“Those people we saw back there were Draco Malfoy, his wife – whose name I can’t for the life of me remember – and the child must be their son, I guess,” He nodded to himself, a resigned look across his face. Albus realised then that it probably wasn’t proper of him to have asked; his dad had clearly had a long and difficult day at work, and he had only just noticed the shadows under his eyes and the stubble across his chin.

“And?” James probed when Harry said no more, “Surely they mean something to you?”

“Well,” Harry began, setting down his fork with a sigh, “back in the day, at Hogwarts, Draco was kind of… my enemy. It all sounds completely pathetic and overdramatic now, but we just never got along. Maybe we could have, but I was in Gryffindor and he was in Slytherin and his family were very much for the Pureblood cause, some of which rubbed off on him. We spent nearly seven years hating each other needlessly, often because he was a bit of prat, but often because I was too, at times.

“He did a lot of bad things for Voldemort’s cause, none of which I think he did because he wanted to, but because he was scared and misguided. Merlin, he was even a Death Eater, but right at the end of the war he saved my life. But his father – now, he was a bad man – was put on trial and sent to Azkaban. It’s thanks to me in part that Draco didn’t join him. After that, he just seemed to vanish – until last week, that is. So I hope you all understand why your mother and I are rather shocked to see him.”

“I hope he’s happy,” Ginny said suddenly, holding up her hand at her husband’s objections, “I mean, he had a tough time – not unlike you. And now he has a wife and a child and I sincerely hope that he’s happy and he’s made something of himself. Most of all I hope the ghosts of his past don’t haunt him too much. After all, the war changed all of us so much and there’s no doubt that it changed him as well.”

Kissing her husband on the cheek and ruffling each of her children’s hair in turn, Ginny retreated to the kitchen to wash up, a sad smile on her face. From that moment on, it was clear that no more was to be said on the topic, and so Albus and his siblings kept their mouths shut – around their parents, at least. That didn’t stop them from speculating wildly when they were alone.

Most of the rest of the holidays was spent discussing the issue, though for Albus it passed by in an almost agonisingly slow blur as he frantically tried to read his books and get his belongings in order, intending to be much more organised than James for once.

On the last night of the holidays, the family of five sat together in the living room with hot chocolates for the children and alcohol for the parents as they played board games and chatted amiably, though Albus spent the evening queasily trying not to think too hard about what the next day would bring. He knew it would be the day his world changed completely, and looking fondly at his family, he wasn’t sure he was quite ready for it yet.


	2. First Year - Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just to say, updates will be pretty quick for a while as i already have twenty chapters written :)

The next morning, Albus bolted upright with the sudden realisation that it was the first of September. Glancing at the clock, he realised that it was only six in the morning, but he pounced out of bed regardless and raced into his parents’ room to drag them up with him. To his surprise, they were already up, with Lily sitting between them, chatting eagerly.

After a relaxed and rather sleepy breakfast of pancakes, which James nearly missed as he sauntered downstairs at half nine, the family packed James and Albus’ trunks into the boot of the car and drove to King’s Cross, darting speedily through central London’s notorious traffic.

As they walked through the concourse, Lily gripped tightly to Albus’ hand, begging him to take her with him. Albus wished he could console her, but his legs were shaking so much he could hardly walk, let alone drag his sister and his trunk behind him, and his mind was racing.

Despite having been to Platform 9 and ¾ several times before, it was still quite a shock as he forced himself to run into the seemingly impenetrable barrier. He came to a stop suddenly at the other side to avoid crashing straight into James, who was grinning at him as he leaned casually against his trolley.

Eventually, Lily and their parents joined them, and the five of them rushed over to join his Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron. Albus gave each of them a brief hug, gave Hugo a quick high five, and got into a deep conversation with Rose.

Suddenly, Ron nudged Harry and pointed discreetly at something in the distance, obscured by the steam pouring out of the Hogwarts Express as it got ready to leave the station. From what Albus could tell by squinting through the fog, it was the Malfoy family that they had seen at Diagon Alley. All of a sudden the steam cleared and Albus found himself meeting eyes with the pale-haired boy through the mist, and quickly realised he couldn’t look away even if he wanted to. The boy and his family were a mystery to him, an enigma waiting to be solved. After a few seconds he blinked and was finally able to pull his eyes away.

“-would never forgive you if you married a Pureblood.” Albus tuned back in to the conversation and rather wished he hadn’t.

“Ugh, I never want to get married to anybody” Rose whined indignantly as the rest of the family’s attention turned to James, who had just run up to them frantically, shouting something about Teddy and Victoire that Albus had known about for months.

Within minutes, it was time to board the train as Albus found himself being pushed and shoved by overexcited children and hassled parents. After kissing his mother goodbye on the cheek, Albus realised he had a last insecurity he wanted to get off his mind, and knew his father was the person to ask. He wasn’t really all that worried about which house he would be sorted into, and knowing that the Sorting Hat would take his choice into account was a huge relief, as was the reassurance that Slytherin wasn’t really all that bad in the end.

After a last comforting hug, Albus was pushed and shoved onto the train. He and Rose found an empty compartment and waved their parents and siblings goodbye as the train pulled away from the platform and turned a corner. The two of them were soon joined by various Weasley cousins and even James, eventually, who claimed he couldn’t find his own friends anywhere.

As Albus was looking around absently at his cousins, he was struck with the realisation that every single one of them was in Gryffindor, except for Victoire, the oldest of his cousins, who was a Ravenclaw, though she was dizzyingly intelligent and had an apprenticeship at St Mungo’s lined up after the year was over. The glum thought, along with the overcrowded compartment, convinced him to go and seek solitude for the rest of the journey. He glanced at Rose on the way out, who simply nodded at him in understanding as she chatted eagerly to Roxanne.

After a few moments of aimless wandering down the corridor, he stumbled across a compartment that was almost empty, apart from three people inside who at first glance appeared to be his own age. He knocked cautiously on the glass as the people inside grinned and waved at him to come inside.

“Hi, I’m Albus,” He said, blushing involuntarily as he took a seat, “are you First Years as well?”

“Yep!” One of the two girls in the compartment said brightly. She had dark skin, thick, braided hair, and a warm smile, “I’m Stella, by the way!”

“And I’m Haruko,” The other girl, who had her dark hair pulled up in a ponytail and glasses, said with a grin as she glanced up from her book.

“I’m Jasper,” The boy added, waving at him from the opposite corner of the apartment. He had long, dark, shaggy hair that almost managed to obscure his eyes, and a friendly, open smile.

“Nice to meet you all,” Albus said, relaxing in his seat. The rest of the train journey passed by in easy and amicable conversation, the consumption of lots of sweets, and the admiration of trinkets from Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes, though Albus was sad to inform his new friends that they had been strictly forbidden at Hogwarts, due in no part to his brother and cousin.

Having scrambled off the train, Albus introduced his new friends to Hagrid, who was still Groundskeeper at Hogwarts, despite announcing his intention to retire at the start of every school year, but never quite managing to go through with it. Bounding around excitedly at his feet was his new puppy, Nigel, and with his grey-flecked beard Hagrid was a welcome sight.

Albus couldn’t help but think that Hogwarts was undisputedly the most beautiful place in the entire world as he and his new friends glided across the lake in a rather cramped little wooden rowing boat. The castle, with its many turrets and towers, looked resplendent against the backdrop of the blazing red and orange sunset. Albus sighed in contentment and a distinct feeling that he was finally home, happy to see that the others were clearly just as awed as he was.

The little boats were then led through a brightly lit tunnel obscured by a leafy weeping willow. The huddle of first years pulled each other out of the boats to be led by Hagrid to the gigantic and rather imposing double doors at the front of the castle. Albus spotted Rose in the crowd and waved to get her attention, but at that moment the doors creaked open to reveal a short, middle aged woman in an extravagant velvet scarlet robe, neatly decorated with hundreds of tiny silver stars that glittered when they caught the evening light. She wore a wide brimmed hat on top of a mass of dark, curly hair, and her dark eyes twinkled almost mischievously behind her glasses as she considered the children in front of her.

“Good evening, First Years, and welcome to Hogwarts. My name is Professor Holland and I am the Transfiguration teacher here, as well as the Head of Hufflepuff house. If you’ll follow me, please,” She had a shrill but commanding voice, and she nodded briskly at Hagrid before turning and leading the group inside into what appeared to be a small side room.

“I will return shortly,” Professor Holland explained in that unusual voice, “please keep as quiet as possible, thank you.” With that, she turned on her heel and left the First Years alone in the room, all of them whispering nervously amongst themselves.

“Hey, Albus!” Rose said as quietly as she could as she nudged her way up to him, “I took your advice and left the cousins after I got into a conversation with Molly about Divination. It was torture! I looked for you, but I couldn’t find you so I just went into a reasonably empty compartment just so I wouldn’t have to go back and have Molly give me a palm reading. Anyway, I made some new friends!”

She took a step back and gestured to the side, her dark blue eyes shining, at a familiar looking boy with pale skin, nearly white-blonde hair neatly slicked back, and light grey eyes that somehow reminded Albus of watching a summer storm from his bedroom window at Grimmauld Place. He waved awkwardly at Albus, and then blushed, which showed up starkly against his pallid cheeks.

“Hi, I’m Scorpius. Scorpius Malfoy – but you probably knew that already,” He grinned and held out his hand. Albus glanced at it tentatively before taking it grudgingly, unaware of ties that were being broken from a generation before.

“I’m Albus, uh – Albus Potter. But you probably knew that already as well,” He snapped his hand back to his side instantly and was just about to introduce Rose to his new friends when Professor Holland returned and whistled sharply, silencing the First Years instantaneously.

“You will now follow me into the Great Hall, silently of course, and when your name is called you will sit on the stool and place the Sorting Hat on your head. The Hat will then sort you into your houses.” She turned sharply on her heel and pushed open the door with a sudden explosion of sound and light.

As the First Years followed Professor Holland into the hall, the loud chattering became a low din of voices. At the front of the Great Hall stood a rickety looking stool with a tattered hat perched atop it. Albus was rather too distracted by the starry night playing across the ceiling to notice, however.

The gaggle of First Year students came to a halt in front of the stool in a hall that was now completely silent. Albus almost jumped right out of his skin when the rip in the brim of the dusty old hat opened up and began to sing in a loud, clear voice.

When the hat finished its song, Professor Holland strolled over to it with an unrolled piece of parchment in her hand. Albus looked round nervously, his nerves eased by the encouraging smiles both Rose and his new friend Stella gave him.

“Aklin, Stanley,” She called out, as a small, blonde haired boy stumbled up to the stool and placed the hat on his head, balanced precariously on his overlarge ears. After a few moments, the hat cried out “RAVENCLAW” and the boy skipped over to join his new housemates, who were clapping for him politely.

Next was “Barton, Karla,” who became the year’s first Gryffindor to cheers and woops, followed by “Bourani, Marcus,” a Slytherin.

Within moments it was Scorpius Malfoy’s turn to be sorted. He walked up to the stool with clear apprehension, as Albus could tell by the way his legs and arms were shaking. Whispers started up across the hall as he sat down on the stool and placed the hat over his head.

The hat seemed to take forever in sorting the boy. Albus grew quite impatient, wondering why it could possibly be taking so long. Just as he thought he might be in the Hall forever, in a perpetual state of waiting, the hat loudly declared “GRYFFINDOR!”

Instead of the usual round of applause that greeted every new student, the hall was completely silent as Scorpius held his head up proudly and determinedly, though to Albus it looked as though he was trying to stop tears from running down his cheeks. Whispers started up again around the hall as he took his seat right at the end of the table. He smiled weakly as Rose flashed him a quick thumbs up.

Before Albus was sorted, one of his friends from the train, “Orikasa, Haruko,” was sorted into Ravenclaw. She grinned at him briefly and pushed her glasses back up her nose as she rushed over to join her fellow housemates for the first time. After “Peterson, Sarah,” became a Ravenclaw, Albus’ name was called, and he strode over to the stool, trying his best to block out the whispers that erupted behind him.

“Ah, yet another Potter,” The hat declared, its voice resounding inside his head, “Now where to put you… With your brother it was quite obvious, but you seem a little more difficult to place. You have intelligence, certainly, but Ravenclaw isn’t quite right, and neither is Hufflepuff, though there’s no lack of loyalty and kindness. There’s bravery in there, sure, but there’s also cunning, and determination, and a desire to protect what’s yours. In that case, better be SLYTHERIN!”

Albus somehow got to his feet, having placed the hat back on the stool in a daze. James had been right all along. Thanks to the ringing in his ears, he hadn’t even realised that nobody had applauded him, save for a smattering of the Slytherin students. He sat down awkwardly at the end of the bench and watched the Sorting resume, feeling more than slightly numb. Rose glanced back at him with wide, betrayed eyes, but there was nothing Albus could do.

After a few moments, during which his friend Jasper was Sorted into Hufflepuff, Rose’s name was called. She marched up to the stool and took the seat more confidently than any other First Year he had seen. A few moments of deliberation later, and the hat declared “GRYFFINDOR!” as Rose skipped over to the Gryffindor table to sit opposite Scorpius. Albus could tell from the way she was biting her lip that the display of confidence was false.

Albus was beginning to feel rather lonely at the table until the last person to be sorted, “Zabini, Stella,” became a Slytherin and joined him at the end of the table, beaming widely with infectious enthusiasm. _At least somebody’s happy that I’m in Slytherin_ , he thought to himself, sighing. He couldn’t help but glance down the rest of the table, only to see numerous pairs of eyes watching him curiously. He looked back to the front of the hall in a hurry, blushing fiercely with embarrassment.

“Good evening, everyone,” A deep voice announced from the front of the now silent Great Hall. Where the stool and hat had been stood a heavily gilded gold lectern, behind which was Hogwarts’ new Headmaster, Kingsley Shacklebolt. McGonagall, who had been Headmistress for nearly twenty years, had chosen to retire earlier in the year, to no one’s real surprise. She had raised Hogwarts from the ashes of the war almost single-handedly, and had worked tirelessly each and every day to make it a safe and tolerant place. No one could deny that she deserved a break.

If anything could be said about Kingsley Shacklebolt, it was that he didn’t look any less magnificent or resplendent than he had twenty years previously on becoming the Minister for Magic. In a striking turquoise and violet robe, he was the very picture of ability and resilience required of a Hogwarts headmaster. It also helped that his wife was the Astronomy teacher.

“To our newest students – welcome to Hogwarts. And to our older students – welcome back! To those who may not know me, my name is Kingsley Shacklebolt and I am your new Headmaster. I hope to continue Minerva McGonagall’s work in rebuilding Hogwarts and making it a safer place to be. Luckily, she did most of the work for me already.” He grinned, and the hall erupted into laughter at his easy sense of humour.

“Now, a few notices; the Forbidden Forest is, as always, completely out of bounds. Our caretakers, Mr and Mrs Ziegler, have requested that no Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes products be used. And without further ado, let the feast commence!” With that, Shacklebolt turned, swishing his cloak for dramatic effect, and returned to his place at the teacher’s table.

As he sat, a feast appeared on all of the tables. Albus grinned at the many plates and grabbed some of all of his favourite foods. His stomach rumbled appreciatively as he shovelled in some macaroni cheese.

“So, welcome to Slytherin!” Stella grinned at him through a mouthful of mashed potatoes, “we’re not all that bad, honestly,”

“I never thought you were, to be honest,” Albus replied as he took a bite of some pie, “I mean, my brother tried to convince me you were all evil incarnate, but he’s in Gryffindor so… he would.”

“I still can’t believe it,” She said, a look of wonder on her face, “we got a Potter! In Slytherin! The world really is changing for the better.”

The rest of the dinner passed by in friendly conversation as Stella and Albus got talking to two of the other new Slytherin students; Heather Krieger, who had dirty blonde hair and dark green eyes, though she didn’t really say much; and Rae O’Connelly, who had only moved to England the previous year after being brought up in Pennsylvania. She had pale skin, bright, sparkling blue eyes, a tangle of dark, curly hair, and a voice that commanded attention.

Albus was most surprised to find out that the three of them were half-bloods, though Heather only admitted it grudgingly. It was nice to hear that Slytherin had become far more inclusive and welcoming since the war. After all, the Sorting Hat had placed him into Slytherin based on his merits and personality, rather than his blood status.

After an exuberant dessert matched only by one of his Grandma Weasley’s, Albus and the other First Years were led down to the Slytherin common room, feeling rather full and satisfied. Albus felt unsure about spending the next seven years of his life in what was essentially a dungeon, but Stella punched his arm and told him to stop being such a wuss.

As it turned out, the dungeon room wasn’t really all that bad. It was brightly lit, and decorated with plush armchairs and sofas, the edges of the room crowded with bookshelves and the occasional Wizard chess set. There was a bit of an overabundance of green and silver, but Albus could happily imagine spending plenty of time here. For a dungeon, it was surprisingly warm, thanks to the large fireplace that took up one wall, giving off a distinct air of warmth, homeliness, and familiarity.

The prefects directed the First Years to their rooms then, and Albus said goodnight to his new friends as the corridor split off into two sections. He and the other four boys were led up a flight of spiral stone staircase, which led them directly to the First Year dorm. Albus smiled nervously at his dorm mates as he opened the door and stepped inside.

Albus blinked in shocked at the almost completely circular room, which gave him the impression of being in a turret. Grinning at the castle’s many mysteries, he went over to the bed with his trunk at the foot and sat down it, debating whether or not to unpack.

“So,” Said a voice from in front of him. He looked up in shock, blinking, “Albus Potter, a Slytherin. Wonder what daddy will think of that.”

The boy who stood in front of him was rather large, though whether from fat or muscle it was difficult to tell. No matter what, he looked rather cruel, with a constant scowl. Standing either side of him were two taller, lankier boys. None of the three looked particularly like the kind of person Albus would want to cross. He gulped nervously as he cautiously watched them.

“I’m Vincent Goyle,” The large boy said, “and these two are Lawrence Marr and Richie Spencer. We’re Purebloods.”

Vincent held his head up proudly at that, as if blood status really mattered anymore. Apparently some things never changed, and Albus was glad he had found friends who didn’t care about all of that nonsense. Albus would much rather his friends judge him on his own personality and choices than whether both of his parents happened to be wizards.

“Uh, nice to meet you,” Albus replied, not that he meant it. Luckily, Goyle nodded, and he and his cronies turned and went to their own beds on the other side of the room. Albus let out a breath he didn’t realise he had been holding as he pulled his pyjamas out of his trunk.

“Um… Hi,” A quiet voice announced from beside his bed. Albus jumped and turned to face the last member of his dorm. He looked quiet and unassuming, with tanned skin, freckles, and short, dark hair and eyes. “I’m Marcus.”

“Hi, I’m Albus,” An overwhelming sense of relief flooded Albus at the realisation that he wouldn’t have to be alone; after all, he couldn’t see himself ever becoming good friends with the other three boys.

“Do you think you could help me?” Marcus asked, with an unusual accent that Albus couldn’t quite place, “I’m kind of new to this whole magic thing and those boys over there kept asking me what my blood status is and it’s the first time I’ve ever been away from my parents and... I’m feeling a little overwhelmed.”

“Just ignore them,” Albus advised as sympathy for the other boy welled up in him. He couldn’t possibly imagine how difficult it must be to have the Wizarding World thrust upon him like that, “and don’t worry, it’s the first time I’ve been away from my parents as well, but luckily my family are mostly magic so I can help you adjust, if you like.”

“Really?” Marcus asked, biting his lip with worry.

“Sure,” Albus replied, “not all of us in Slytherin are so obsessed with blood status. Anyway, it’s getting late and we have lessons tomorrow, so we should probably get a good night’s sleep,” As if to punctuate his point, Albus yawned widely.

“Good night, then,” Marcus said, smiling briefly at Albus before turning back to his own bed, which was thankfully next to Albus’.

Albus fell asleep that night feeling happy and satisfied at the fact that he had made some new friends, but a lingering feeling of terror dwelled in him at the thought of having to tell his father the news. Luckily, after such a busy day, sleep came much more easily than he had thought it would.


	3. First Year - Part Two

“Psst, little brother,” Albus glanced up from his cereal the next morning in shock at the sight of his brother James sitting in front of him, a smug smile plastered annoyingly across his face, “What did I tell you?”

“Okay, you were right, you can stop being so smug. Now go sit back at your own table!” Albus hissed angrily, all too aware of the glares he was receiving from a few of the older Slytherins. No doubt more than a few of them had been the butt of some of James’ practical jokes in the past.

“But little brother, I only wanted to chat – okay, alright, if you insist,” He got up in a hurry, winking at Albus’ friends who were congregated around him, before strolling casually back to his own table at the other side of the hall. Albus had just put his spoon back in his mouth when Rose came and sat herself down in the recently vacated sight.

“What are you doing here?” Albus demanded, dropping his spoon back into his cereal with a huff.

“I only wanted to wish you a good morning,” Rose retorted with a huff. He could hear his friends giggling beside him and shot them a pointed look, which Stella responded to with a stuck out tongue.

“Good morning to you too,” Albus replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

“No, really,” Rose said, feigning a look of surprise, “I just wanted to make sure you were alright,” She continued, lowering her voice and leaning in close to her cousin.

“I’m fine Rose, honestly. It’s not too bad here in Slytherin, shocking though that may be for you to hear,” He grinned at her, though really he was quite touched by his cousin’s obvious concern for him.

“Good, glad to hear it. And if you ever need anything, I’m always here, okay?” She said seriously, “anyway, I’ll see you later. Scorpius and Astrid will be wondering where I’ve got to,”

Albus watched her go and sit with Scorpius Malfoy and Astrid at the Gryffindor table. Albus wondered if he’d be sitting with them right now, had he been sorted into Gryffindor, but brushed the thought off as ridiculous. He was in Slytherin, and there was nothing he could change about that. If the Sorting Hat had chosen to put him there, then clearly that was where he belonged.

“Have you seen our timetable?” Rae said, sounding almost affronted, “Triple Herbology on a Wednesday? Are they trying to kill us?”

“Surely Herbology can’t be that bad!” Marcus replied, scanning his own timetable with wide, eager eyes, almost as if he was trying to drink all of the information in. Albus supposed that all of these new subjects must seem very exciting indeed to a Muggleborn.

“Ugh, you wouldn’t be saying that if both your parents worked in the field,” Rae said, throwing her timetable down in obvious frustration.

“At least none of your parents are teachers here,” Stella interjected, glancing up at the teacher’s table where her father, Professor Zabini, teacher of Defence against the Dark Arts as well as Head of Slytherin, sat reading the Daily Prophet. When he had come up to the Slytherin table earlier that morning to greet the new students, Stella had buried her head in her hands and refused to move until he left. That didn’t stop him from ruffling her hair quickly as he strolled past, much to her mortification.

“Come on guys, we need to get to Potions – none of us knows where it is,” Heather said as she got to her feet and pulled Rae up with her. The rest of the little group of Slytherins followed and set off in search of the Potions classroom. Despite the maps they had, they took a lot of wrong turns, but they made it there eventually, though they were not the first, as was evident by the gaggle of Hufflepuffs.

“Good morning, children,” A voice said brusquely as a man waltzed past them, cloak swishing in various shades of orange before he came to a halt in front of the door, “My name is Professor Scamander and I will be your Potions teacher. Now, any questions?”

“Are you –?” A voice piped up from behind him, to be immediately interrupted.

“Yes, I am related to Newt Scamander, author of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them,” He said wearily, as though it were a question he heard day in, day out.

“No, I meant, are you new here?” Albus glanced back and saw that it was his friend Jasper from the train who had asked the question. He waved briefly at the boy who grinned back before focusing their attention on the teacher.

“Ah, of course, of course. Yes, I am new here – but don’t worry, I have a lot of experience with potions. Now why don’t you all come in and I’ll arrange you in a seating plan,” The class groaned as one as Professor Scamander flung open the door and herded the students inside.

Within minutes the teacher had sorted them all into pairs, and Albus was glad to find himself next to Marcus, as they had a lot to talk about, although admittedly there was little Albus could tell him about Potions. On the table next to theirs were Stella and Jasper, and so hopefully the lessons themselves wouldn’t be too boring.

Professor Scamander was undeniably a good teacher, though he could be a little eccentric at times. Unfortunately the class were not making a potion that day, but were instead focusing on the importance of the ingredients as well as cauldron safely. Albus found it all extremely fascinating, and couldn’t help but laugh at Marcus, whose mouth was gaping open in shock for most of the lesson.

After that, the Slytherins had Defence against the Dark Arts with the Gryffindors and Stella’s father, Professor Zabini, who waved at Stella as she came in, causing her to blush a deep shade of beetroot. While Albus enjoyed the lesson itself, as it wasn’t too difficult, his attempts to say hello to Rose were completely ignored, as she was always deep in conversation with her own friends.

Rather more annoyed then he thought he would be, Albus stormed out of the Defence classroom the second Professor Zabini dismissed them, pulling all of his new friends with him in a futile attempt to make himself seem more popular than Rose. He felt bad not long later, as he remembered Rose’s concerned words to him that morning.

Lunchtime was spent writing a hurried letter to his parents in between bites of food, though it was quite difficult to find the right words. Thankfully, he managed to finish his letter before afternoon lessons began.

“Dear Mum and Dad,

I’m really enjoying my first few days at Hogwarts. I’ve made lots of new friends and all the lessons have been awesome so far.

I got sorted into Slytherin. I really hope you’re not mad at me. It’s where the hat said I belonged and as I said, I’ve already made some really good friends, although there are a few boys in my dorm who don’t seem very friendly and who care way too much about blood status, but they haven’t bothered me yet and if they do, I’ll let you know.

Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione probably already told you, but Rose got sorted into Gryffindor. I hope we don’t drift apart too much. She’s made a few friends and one of them is Scorpius Malfoy! (Don’t tell Uncle Ron!)

Lots of love, Albus. x”

The rest of the week passed by smoothly, though as Rae had predicted, triple Herbology had been a bit of a drag, though Albus had tried his hardest to remain enthusiastic for the entire three hours as Professor Longbottom dictated to them the traits of several species of Wormwood. History of Magic was as dull as everybody said it was, as Professor Binns droned on at the students in that monotonous voice for an entire hour. Transfiguration had had Albus completely confounded, and neither Professor Holland’s teaching nor Marcus’ guidance could help him. Luckily the rest of his lessons had passed by smoothly, though pulling himself out of bed for Astronomy on Thursday night hadn’t been easy.

Albus had promised to meet Hagrid in his hut with Rose on Saturday, but when he showed up a few minutes late, breathless from the run through the grounds, he discovered that Rose was already inside, and had brought Scorpius and Astrid along with her.

“Hi,” Albus said awkwardly as he tried to get comfortable in his overlarge chair, smiling and thanking Hagrid as he brought him a steaming mug of tea, which he used to warm his hands up.

“Hey Albus, it’s so good to see you!” Rose gushed, “How was your first week? I’ve loved it, Hogwarts truly is an amazing place, and I’ve loved all the lessons too. My favourite’s been Transfiguration, and I quite enjoyed History of Magic, though admittedly it would be nice if we touched upon more recent history.”

“Only you would actually enjoy History of Magic!” Albus exclaimed, and was quite surprised when Scorpius and Astrid laughed at his comment. Rose blushed slightly and took a big gulp of tea to hide her red cheeks.

The four children were happily disrupted when Hagrid’s puppy, Nigel, woke up from his nap. The next few hours passed by in what felt like a matter of seconds as the three children played with the puppy and fed him. Albus almost forgot that he wasn’t friends with Scorpius and Astrid, a fact which became obvious once Nigel had settled back to sleep and he was faced with actually having to talk to them.

He wasn’t sure if it was just his inbuilt prejudices, but Albus simply could not make himself like Scorpius Malfoy. He seemed far too full of himself. Luckily the two of them only had Herbology, Defence, and Flying lessons together, and so Albus reasoned that they wouldn’t have to spend too much time in each other’s company. Because of this, Albus left shortly after, as it was beginning to get dark and he had promised to meet his friends for dinner.

-

One afternoon in the middle of October, as Albus was going to the Owlery to send an owl to Teddy, who was much like an older brother to him, Scorpius Malfoy strolled past him on the corridor. Albus smiled politely, since he was Rose’s friend after all, but the blonde boy simply scowled back. Albus frowned as he continued along the corridor, then shrugged and let the incident slide, odd as it was.

A couple of weeks passed by smoothly, and Albus quickly found that he was completely settled in at Hogwarts and could barely imagine himself anywhere else, even if the homework load was a little frustrating. He had an amazing group of friends, with whom he discovered he could talk about almost anything and they’d be willing to listen, especially Marcus, who he spent a lot of time talking to about the ins and outs of the Wizarding world and its history, though he decided to gloss over the more recent history. Albus loved his dad unconditionally, but he hated his fame, and he couldn’t bear the thought of Marcus judging him once he inevitably discovered that his best friend’s dad was the ‘saviour of the Wizarding world.’

A few days later, as Albus was walking hurriedly to lunch after having a quick conversation with Professor Longbottom, whose wife was expecting their first child, he passed a very peculiar scene on the corridor. Scorpius was there, without Rose or Astrid, which was strange in itself as they were usually permanent fixtures at his side. Instead, he stood pressed to the wall, surrounded by the three boys in Albus’ dorm who seemed far too focused on blood status. Thankfully, they seemed to go out of their way to ignore Albus and Marcus. Albus tried to make out what they were saying as he passed by on the other side of the corridor.

The three boys were notorious bullies, even after only a month and a half at the school, and Albus was struck with the sudden realisation that the three of them were most likely picking on Scorpius, who was much smaller than all of them. Albus considered stopping and trying to help him, but at that moment Scorpius finally noticed him and gave him such a glare that he carried on walking instead, though he couldn’t forget the look of fear that was also plain on the boy’s face, now seared onto eyeballs.

Albus spent the rest of the day at war with himself. He really should have offered to help – even if Scorpius hadn’t wanted it, he had clearly needed it. Yet instead he had just walked on by. His parents had always taught him that there was no such thing as an innocent bystander, and he considered himself no better than the bullies.

At dinner that evening, Albus felt a little relief at seeing Scorpius across the hall with Rose and Astrid, laughing and joking like nothing was wrong, though it didn’t stop his feelings of guilt. If it ever happened again, Albus was certain he’d be ready to help Scorpius no matter what he wanted.

He also felt a stab of jealousy at the way Scorpius got along so easily with his cousin Rose, and Albus had even seen him talking to Roxanne and Louis, which irritated Albus as none of his cousins had spoken to him since the train, with the obvious exception of Rose, as well as Victoire, though Albus couldn’t help but feel that she pitied him. In fact, most of his cousins had taken to completely blanking him on the corridors – as if being in Slytherin could possibly be that bad!

“Hey, is everything alright?” Marcus asked from next to him, his voice muffled by a mouthful of mashed potatoes, “You seem quiet.”

“It’s nothing,” Albus said, as he didn’t reckon Scorpius would want anyone to know about the incident, and furthermore he didn’t want his friends to know just how much he missed his cousins, so he let it drop, and tried his best to get back into the conversation, despite the fact it was about Quidditch.

A few weeks later, the incident with Scorpius and the bullies had been all but forgotten. Albus had at last received a letter from his parents, who had been preoccupied – his dad in his job as Head Auror and his mum reporting on Quidditch games in Sweden. He had received their owl at breakfast that morning after she had dive-bombed into his porridge, and after removing as much of it as he could, Albus decided to read it later in the afternoon, where he could find somewhere more peaceful.

After lessons that afternoon, Albus opened the letter in an undisturbed little window seat on the top floor of the castle, and realised he was actually quite nervous about what his parents would have to say. After all, both of their families had always been in Gryffindor, and he was one of the first to ever break that tradition, and certainly the first to ever have been sorted into Slytherin.

“Dear Albus,

We’re glad you’re having a good time at Hogwarts and settling in well. Hopefully you’re still enjoying the lessons, and remember to do all of your homework.

Though we were a little shocked to discover that you were sorted into Slytherin, we still love you just as much as we always have and are endlessly proud of you. Slytherin house has no doubt gained an excellent student. As for those boys in your dorm – just ignore them. Some old Wizarding families just can’t let go of the past and unfortunately that sometimes rubs off on their children. Be sure to let us know if they do bother you, and we’ll have a word with Kingsley.

Ron and Hermione are very happy that Rose has been sorted into Gryffindor, but we haven’t told Ron about her new friend as it isn’t our story to tell. I’m sure Rose will let him know when she feels ready.

Love you lots, the house feels quite lonely with only Lily here! She can’t wait 'till Christmas to get to see her big brothers.

Mum and Dad. x”

Albus smiled and folded the letter up to tuck it into one of his pockets. Just knowing his parents still loved and supported him was all he needed at that moment, and he felt much lighter, as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

Walking absentmindedly down the corridor, taking the letter from his pocket to fold and unfold it, Albus was quite surprised when he walked straight into somebody else and was sent flying to the floor, the air knocked out of his lungs. Dusting himself off and picking himself up off the floor, he spotted the all-too-familiar shock of blonde hair and cursed to himself quietly.

“What the hell?” Scorpius demanded as he clumsily got to his feet, “Did you do that on purpose?”

“What? Of course not! Why on earth would I do that?” Albus gaped in shock at the accusation as Scorpius crossed his arms angrily. Albus risked a glance at his eyes, which were grey like a roiling storm at that moment.

“Well your brother seems to have it in for me, so why wouldn’t you?” He demanded.

“What does my brother have to do with this?” Albus wondered aloud.

“For starters, he won’t leave me alone! He keeps telling me I’m in the wrong house, that I belong in Slytherin, that I tricked the hat and got it to swap our places! It wasn’t too bad at first but now I can’t even be in my own common room without him taunting me!” Scorpius was almost shaking with rage, his cheeks flushed red with anger and embarrassment.

“That’s not my problem!” Albus shot back, clenching his fists.

“Yes it is! You Potters, you’re all the same! All stuck up just because your dad was the saviour of the Wizarding World, and now you think the world owes you back!” Scorpius was pacing up and down the corridor in front of Albus, as if he couldn’t stand still or he’d explode.

“Yeah? Well at least my dad wasn’t a Death Eater!” Albus shouted, though he realised the second the words came out of his mouth that they were callous and cruel and he shouldn’t have said them at all. He wasn’t like his father at all, but the words were already out of his mouth and lingering in the air between them before he realised that Scorpius probably wasn’t like his father at all either.

“Wait, what?” Scorpius asked in barely a whisper, his face falling. His eyes were so wide that Albus couldn’t possibly make eye contact or he would be swallowed up by the shame he felt at himself and the look of complete and utter dejection on Scorpius’ face.

“You didn’t know?” Albus inquired once he could finally speak, “Oh Merlin, I’m so sorry, I didn’t –”

“Leave me alone!” Scorpius screeched, before turning and fleeing down the corridor, leaving Albus completely alone to his thoughts, his letter completely crumpled and ruined in his fist.

-

November passed by swiftly, even though Scorpius was still refusing to even look Albus in the face or acknowledge his existence, not that Albus could blame him. Thankfully he hadn’t told Rose about their little altercation, and they still exchanged words in the corridor sometimes.

Albus and Marcus were now best friends, and the pair sat together in lessons whenever possible. Albus helped Marcus with his Herbology and Potions homework, while Marcus was always willing to lend Albus a hand for his Transfiguration homework, as he was one of the best students in the class. Luckily neither of them minded helping the other, not when it helped improve their marks and grades.

Albus also got along really well with Stella, whose bubbly and vibrant personality could brighten any day. He was also starting to enjoy the company of Stella’s friends, Rae and Heather. Together, the five of them formed their own little group within Slytherin, and sometimes they were even joined at breakfast or lunch by Jasper, who had plenty of friends in Hufflepuff but admitted that they occasionally got on his nerves.

December crawled by as the excitement for Christmas built up. Albus was thrilled to wake up on the first day of the month to find the school’s corridors and classrooms bedecked in tinsel, holly and wreaths. A few days later, Hagrid heaved the Christmas tree in from the Forbidden Forest and placed it at the very front of the hall, behind the teachers' table. This year, students were being allowed to decorate the tree themselves, and so Albus and his friends snuck into the hall early that Sunday morning and added a few paper chains and trinkets they had crafted themselves. After a few days, the tree could barely be seen for all the flamboyant decorations.

The day before he was due to go home for the holidays, Albus had his birthday, and buried his head in his hands with embarrassment that evening at dinner when his friends brought him a cake from the kitchen and insisted on singing happy birthday to him. Apparently Jasper’s older sister, also a Hufflepuff, had told her brother how to get into the kitchens, and he hadn’t minded sharing that information with the Slytherins for Albus’ benefit (and embarrassment).

At long last the term was over, and Albus and his friends piled onto the train to spend a happy few hours playing exploding snap and trading chocolate frog cards. When Jasper joined them a few hours into the journey, he brought with him a packet of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans. The rest of the train ride was spent sampling them. Albus was reasonably lucky, with chocolate pudding, apple pie, and watermelon, until he inevitably got a bean that tasted like celery.

The second he jumped off the train, Albus spotted his parents and younger sister and rushed over to greet them. Hogwarts was without a doubt the most amazing place in the world, but it was always such a relief to know his family were there for him. He gave each of his parents a big hug after he had said a quick goodbye to his friends, promising to send them letters and Christmas cards. James acted completely nonchalant, as if he hadn’t even missed his parents, but Albus couldn’t fail to spot the relieved look on his face after their mother had given him a warm hug.

“Hey, little Slytherin,” He chortled, ruffling Albus’ hair. Albus shoved him back, not gently, and the two of them would have ended up in a full scale fight if Harry hadn’t stepped between them and grabbed each of them by the ear. Albus turned bright red and stopped fighting immediately, all too aware of the eyes that Harry Potter inevitably drew.

With the brief fight over, the Potter family left the station, the three children bubbling over with excitement, the three parents a little wearier, but all of them ready to go home and decorate the house, and most importantly, relax for a few weeks.


	4. First Year - Part Three

“Hey Albus, how was your Christmas?” Stella enthused the second he walked into their compartment on the train, having spent the last ten minutes desperately searching throughout the train for them. The four Slytherins were all in there, and Jasper would presumably join them later.

Albus considered Stella’s question. Well, he thought, there was the exploding turkey incident, that uncomfortable dinner where Rose blurted out that Scorpius was her best friend and Uncle Ron had nearly had a nervous breakdown over his tiramisu. Oh, and of course, how could he possibly forget James’ new nickname for him, ‘little Slytherin’?

“It was good, thanks!” He replied as he took a seat, smiling broadly. There had been good parts, of course. He had spent Christmas and New Year with his cousins, some of whom even spoke to him! Albus suspected that, had he been in Gryffindor, he would have been sick of the sight of them all. The best part of the holidays had undoubtedly been when Teddy showed up on New Year’s Eve, laden with presents and apologising profusely for his absence at Christmas.

“How were your holidays?” Albus inquired, settling back into his seat with his legs crossed as he was bombarded with stories, shown presents, and told numerous amusing anecdotes. He was so happy to see his friends that he was content to just sit back and let their stories wash over him.

Once back at Hogwarts, life quickly resumed its normal pace. As he was so busy, with friendships and homework and exploring the castle, Albus had almost completely forgotten about Scorpius Malfoy, though thankfully it seemed that the other boy had also completely forgotten about him. Albus thought his life was better than it had ever been before, especially now that he rarely saw James and when he did, it was often in the corridor between lessons, and his older brother was often deep in conversation with his own friends.

Albus also found himself spending more time with Rae than he had before. They helped each other with Astrology homework, and Rae even joined him in his exploration of the castle on a few occasions. Albus wondered once or twice if she had a crush on him, but he brushed the idea off as it was completely ridiculous. She was quite pretty, though, with her secretive smiles, as if she were part of a joke that no else knew, and her blue eyes which contrasted starkly with her long, wavy dark hair. Not that Albus would ever tell a girl she was pretty, of course – that was just absurd.

It was midway through March that the inevitable happened: Vincent, Richie, and Lawrence figured out that Marcus was a Muggleborn. Albus wasn’t quite sure how it had happened, but that evening he and Marcus had gone up to their dorm room, laughing and chatting as usual, when they had opened the door to find the three bullies waiting for them on the other side.

“A little owl told us you don’t belong in Slytherin,” Vincent said, grinning and taking up the doorway with his hulking frame.

“What?” Marcus asked, clearly confused.

“Well, I mean, you’re not like the rest of us, are you?” Vincent smirked as Lawrence and Richie cackled at either side of him.

“What do you mean by that?” Albus demanded angrily.

“He’s a Muggleborn – a filthy Mudblood!” Vincent spat. Marcus simply stood rooted to the spot in shock.

“Oh come on, everyone knows this whole ‘Pureblood’ argument is stupid. As if any of you are actually full, pure blooded wizards. If they only let truly Pureblood wizards into Hogwarts there’d either be none of us left or an awful lot of inbreeding,” Albus said, desperate to defend his friend.

“You calling me inbred?” Lawrence challenged, a menacing scowl across his face.

“What? No – I’m just saying, there’s no such thing as Pureblood anymore. Didn’t your parents learn anything from the war? And don’t you dare call Marcus that word – you disgust me, all three of you.” With that, Albus grabbed Marcus’ hand and shoved his way past the boys and into the little corner of the room where they had pulled their beds together after only a few weeks. Luckily, the three bullies didn’t bother them again that evening, though Albus had the uncomfortable feeling that this wasn’t the end of it, by far.

Unfortunately it was rather difficult to avoid people when you shared a room with them, so Albus and Marcus would stay downstairs as late as possible, and then get up as early as possible in the morning, which was alright for Albus as he had always been a morning person. Albus prayed that one day they would change and see the error of their ways, but he didn’t see that happening any time soon.

The rest of the year passed by as smoothly as Albus thought it could, considering the circumstance with the three bullies. He never ceased to be amazed by the castle, and even after nine months at the school, he was still finding new passages and unfamiliar corridors on a regular basis. It was also nice to take a solitary stroll to escape the constant pressures of being Harry Potter’s son.

Albus felt incredibly lucky to have found friends who accepted him for who he was, and who had gotten to know him before making a judgement, rather than just becoming his friend because of who his parents were. Unfortunately, not everybody felt the same way, and he still received plenty of glances and whispers wherever he went. While James seemed to revel in the attention, Albus shied away from it, though it was admittedly rather difficult when he was trying to relax in his own common room amid fervent whispers and pointed fingers.

Somehow worse was the fact that so many people were shocked about him being in Slytherin. Albus had accepted it and he loved his house now, and he wished other people would get over themselves and do the same, especially his own cousins, who were content to just ignore him.

* * *

 

Summer at Hogwarts was undeniably a breathtaking time, though annoyingly, Albus’ hayfever had returned, and so he was forced to spend all of his time indoors, watching the grounds and the lake with wistful eyes from the library. Albus didn’t know how he would have coped if it wasn’t for Marcus and Stella, who spent their weekends with him in the library. They claimed not to mind, but Albus could see them gazing longingly out of the window too.

It wasn’t all bad, as Albus was able to get lots of revision done without the distractions of the vast, sprawling grounds of Hogwarts, which he was desperate to explore fully when he could. As exam season got closer and closer, Albus practically lived in the library as he became determined to do better than his brother had.

One downside to that was that Scorpius also seemed to spend a lot of his time in the library. Often, he was with Rose, as there was no denying that the two of them were enviably clever, but mostly he was by himself, deep in concentration and completely unaware of Albus’ presence, which was lucky as Albus would often accidentally stumble across him when searching for a book.

One day, exactly a week before their first exam in Charms, Albus was in the library as usual, when he realised he had left his Charms textbook back in his dorm room. Too lazy to trek all the way across the castle to retrieve it, he scoured the shelves, certain that it would be in the library. At long last, he found it, and reached out to grab the spine just as somebody else did the same thing right next to him.

“Hey, I saw it first!” Albus complained, tugging sharply on the book. He glanced to the side and nearly dropped the book when he saw that it was Scorpius, his grey eyes full of obvious disgust.

“No you didn’t!” Scorpius retorted, yanking on the book, “Go find another copy or something.”

“But it’s the last copy!” Albus whined, “Go get your own copy.”

“No, _you_ go get your own copy,”

“Come on, Scorpius, just give it to me,” Albus said, glaring at the other boy, who seemed adamant not to let the book go.

“Why would I do that? You’re a horrible person,” Scorpius said loudly, earning the pair of them a sharp look from the librarian, who was keeping an uncomfortably close eye on them.

“Whatever, you have it,” Albus grumbled, letting go of the book and giggling to himself when Scorpius stumbled backwards and nearly fell into the bookshelf. Scorpius scowled at him and straightened himself out before stalking back to wherever it was he had been studying. Albus rolled his eyes and headed back to the dorm to get his own textbook, grabbing a bite to eat from the kitchens on the way.

Other than that incident, Scorpius Malfoy seemed intent on completely ignoring his existence, which Albus could live with, even though he still felt incredibly guilty for revealing a secret that wasn’t his to share. The other boy may have seemed quite stuck up and pretentious, but Albus wouldn’t have wished that upon him, yet he had forced it upon the other boy instead, and now Scorpius would no doubt hate him forever. Albus just hoped he never told Rose.

Thankfully, exam season itself passed the First Years by quite smoothly, though Albus wasn’t looking forward to six more years of this, especially since they no doubt got progressively more difficult. The evening of the last exam, History of Magic, the five Slytherins, along with Jasper, went to the kitchens and stuffed themselves silly with desserts that the house elves were beyond pleased to make for them. Albus didn’t think he had laughed so much in weeks.

The next week, the students got their results back. Albus did extremely well in Potions, as did Marcus, and surprisingly, Albus did pretty well in Transfiguration, no doubt thanks to the time they had spent together in the recent weeks. He was certain his parents would be proud of him no matter what; however, he didn’t plan on going into too much detail about his History of Magic or Defence against the Dark Arts marks. Somehow he just couldn’t quite get the grip of defensive spells, and it was the only class that he had done worse in than James had in his first year.

Luckily, as the school year dwindled to a close and the pollen count finally began to decrease, Albus was able to spend more time outside with his friends, and they spent many joyous afternoons and weekends relaxing by the lake, having water fights and gossiping. The only downside was that they still had to go to lessons, most of which were spent staring desperately out of the window and trying not to nod off to the teachers’ droning voices.

On the last day of term, lessons were cancelled, apparently due to the sunshine, but Albus had noticed the shadows under his teachers’ eyes that morning and the way they clutched their cups of coffee, and wasn’t all that surprised.

He and his friends had a spectacular day outside, playing by the water as they usually did. Rae and Heather brought a picnic basket out at lunchtime and they ate sandwiches and cake gazing up at the castle. Later in the afternoon, Albus grumbled at how red and sore his sunburnt arms were, while Stella and Marcus laughed at him. Rae patted him on the arm consolingly, showing off how sunburnt she was, too. Stella and Marcus just laughed harder, nudging each other and falling onto the floor. Albus decided he had had enough of them.

The ensuing water fight was the most fun Albus had had in ages, and they all wandered up to the castle hours later as the sun began to set, turning the sky a fiery orange, all dripping wet and sad that the five of them wouldn’t all be together for another six weeks.

Packing all of his stuff into his suitcase that night, including a few odd pairs of socks from under the bed and the first crumpled letter he’d received from his parents, felt bittersweet. Knowing that he’d be returning soon was a good feeling, but Albus couldn’t quite believe that his first year at Hogwarts was already over!

He spent the train ride home the next day with his usual group of friends, who he really did think he would miss. When the train pulled into the platform and the Potter family was together once again, Albus even gave James a hug, though his brother resisted vehemently. Sure, Albus would miss Hogwarts, but home had a lot of comforts too, and he would be back next year, with new adventures and excitements to be had and maybe even some new friends to be had, though he somehow doubted that Scorpius Malfoy would be one of them.


	5. Second Year - Part One

“Can I come with you? Please, Albus, please!” Albus was rudely awoken on the first of September by his sister jumping on his bed and barely managing to miss kicking him. Groaning and glancing over at his alarm clock, he realised with a start that it was already eight am, which was unusual for Albus as he was usually an early riser.

“No, Lily – now go away,” Albus muttered as he rubbed his eyes and dragged himself to his feet. Lily pouted at him and gave him another kick as she jumped down from the bed and raced out of the room. At least Albus could never say his life was boring.

He ate his breakfast in silence, contemplating his family as they interacted in front of him. Even if they could be complete nuisances at times, he really did love his siblings, and they generally got on really well with each other. For the most part it was just James and Albus who fought and argued and occasionally stole each other’s stuff, though Lily was known to nick some of James’ Quidditch supplies from time to time. Albus never grassed on her. At that moment, James was trying to convince Lily to pour orange juice into her cereal. She wasn’t the least bit convinced.

His parents couldn’t be forgotten, of course. Albus smiled as his dad kissed his mum on the cheek and gave her a rose as she walked out of the door to go to work, deftly ignoring the vomiting noises his siblings were making. Albus found it endearing that his parents were so clearly in love even after so many years together. They had been through a lot together, no doubt about that, from the war and its aftermath to the struggles of marriage and parenthood. Whatever the reason, he loved them endlessly.

Albus felt incredibly lucky. Sure, having a large family was irritating sometimes, but he couldn’t imagine life without his many cousins, even if he hadn’t seen much of them at Hogwarts last year. Thankfully he had been able to spend more time with them over the summer, at various family gatherings and meals. They seemed to be warming up to the idea of him being in Slytherin at last.

“Have you packed yet, Albus?” Harry asked, draining the last of his coffee.

“I packed last night,” Albus replied, “I was too excited to go back so I thought I might as well do something useful.”

“I only wish your brother felt the same way.” Harry laughed, rolling his eyes at his elder son who was now running frantically about the house in search of all of his belongings. Soon enough, James had finished packing, and the family headed to the station, towing Lily along, who seemed to be on the verge of tears at the fact that she still couldn’t come to Hogwarts.

Once the Potter family were on Platform 9 and ¾, Albus spotted his friends and waved them over so he could introduce them to his father. For the most part, they looked absolutely shell-shocked to be meeting Harry Potter, especially Stella, despite the fact that her dad had known him. Marcus was polite, of course, but Albus was glad that he was completely oblivious. It didn’t last long.

“Albus?” Marcus asked, once the train was underway and Albus had waved to Lily until she had vanished out of sight.

“Yeah?”

“Why was everyone fawning over your dad? It was like he was famous or something. And I’ve kind of noticed that people always treat you and your brother differently.”

“Albus, as if you haven’t told him!” Stella screeched, punching Albus in the arm, not lightly.

“Albus’ dad is only, like, the most famous wizard in the world. He’s our saviour!” Rae interjected, pointedly rolling her eyes in Albus’ direction.

“Yeah, just look up Harry Potter in any history book from the last twenty years and he’ll no doubt be in there. You know, my dad was in his year at school,” Stella added, “of course, my dad was in Slytherin so they probably hated each other…”

“Wait, he’s really famous?” Marcus asked, his face a picture of disbelief.

“Yep, afraid so.” Albus shrugged and relaxed into his seat.

“Is that why everyone keeps looking at you funny?” Marcus queried.

“That’ll be the reason.” Albus replied, grinning.

“Oh, cool.”

And that was that.

The biggest shock upon reaching the castle was the horseless carriages that led them up to the castle. Though Albus was sure there was some completely feasible reason as to why the carriages seemed to drive themselves, he still felt distinctly queasy as the carriage swayed and jolted towards the castle, which loomed eerily in the early twilight.

It was rather amusing to see the First Years be sorted into their houses, with their pale faces and shaking knees. Albus made sure to smile politely at every new member of Slytherin, though a few clearly had older siblings in the school and just stared at him in shock.

Albus was quite happy the next morning to discover that his classes had changed, meaning he had more classes with the Gryffindors and could hopefully talk to Rose more. They had spent lots of time together over the summer, as Uncle Ron hadn’t quite been ready to let Scorpius come round, but Albus just knew they would drift apart again unless they had plenty of classes together.

After breakfast, Albus was practically buzzing as he walked to Potions, his first lessons of the year and also his favourite subject by far. Marcus and the others were less keen, no thanks to Professor Scamander’s love of seating plans.

“Welcome, welcome, Second Years! Don’t you all look grown up? Now, where to put you all…” Professor Scamander beamed widely, dressed in his usual garish attire. Today he was completely enveloped in a bright turquoise robe dotted with green sequins.

“Now, Potter, where to put you… How about next to Malfoy there? Excellent!” Albus groaned, but Professor Scamander could be extremely strict when necessary, so Albus dragged his feet over to his seat at the front next to the very person who hated him the most in the world, the boy whose life he had probably ruined.

“Hey,” Albus began, but Scorpius simply sniffed and turned his face away. For the next few minutes, as the rest of the class were put into their seats, Albus wondered how he was ever supposed to do well in potions if his partner refused to even look at him.

The lesson started reasonably well. Scorpius scurried silently off to get the ingredients as Albus wordlessly opened his potions book and found his cauldron. They managed to work in awkward silence for fifteen minutes, until Albus ruined everything, as he was prone to do.

“Could you pass me the chopped butterfly wings?” Scorpius asked quietly. Albus was so shocked he turned suddenly to face the other boy in disbelief. The daisy pollen in his hands spilled into his potion several steps too early, just before Albus’ hand whacked into the cauldron, sending it flying – right over Scorpius Malfoy, of course, because the universe had clearly decided that the two of them shouldn’t ever be friends.

“Oh Merlin, I’m so sorry – let me go get Scamander –” Albus started as the potion began to react with Scorpius’ skin, letting off a strong yellow gas that made Albus’ nostrils hurt. Thankfully that seemed to be all the potion was doing, and there was no burning or charring or boiling or any number of horrible things that could happen when a potion was spilled.

Scorpius didn’t say another word. He simply turned, his eyes brimming as if with tears but also burning with what was clearly anger, and ran out of the door, the laughter of most of the Slytherins and even a few of the Gryffindors following him down the corridor.

Albus stared down at the potion as it oozed slowly across the floor, completely dumbfounded. How did he manage to be such a clumsy idiot? Scamander hurried over and vanished away the rest of the potion, shooting Albus a look that clearly said ‘I’ll deal with you later’ before following Scorpius out of the door.

“You really showed him!” Vincent Goyle guffawed from the back of the classroom. Stella, who was unfortunately stuck next to the bully, frowned in sympathy at Albus before rolling her eyes in Vincent’s direction.

“Oh, shut up.” Albus said humourlessly as he picked his cauldron up from the floor and slammed it onto his desk in frustration.

Scorpius had somehow managed to convince Professor Scamander that Albus had sabotaged their potion and thrown it on him on purpose, and so Albus had received a week’s worth of detention, while Scorpius was allowed to choose his own partner. Albus didn’t mind too much, as he wasn’t sure he could have put up with Scorpius for an entire year, and he was now sitting next to Heather, who he was actually friends with and could work with easily.

Luckily, most of Albus’ other teachers let their pupils sit where they wanted to, meaning Albus always ended up next to either Marcus and Stella, who he reckoned were probably his two best friends in the entire world, even when considering Rose, a thought that made him feel quite glum. Though Albus was usually a quiet and studious person, his friends brought out his more boisterous side, and he got into trouble a few times for talking when he should have been listening, but he still did all his homework and got good grades in his test, so he figured he would be alright.

Once his week of detentions was over, which had been spent angrily scrubbing old cauldrons clean, he was exhausted. On the last night, Professor Scamander demanded that Albus clean the rest of the cauldrons until they were sparkling, which meant his detention didn’t finish until midnight, his eyes burning with a mixture of cauldron polish and fatigue. He washed the grease off his hands in the little sink in the classroom and headed back to his dorm, yawning as he went.

It came as quite a surprise to Albus as he walked past a usually deserted classroom and heard voices inside. Glancing around to check that he was alone, he cautiously pressed his ear to the door, all the while wondering why the hell he was doing it.

“– As if they’re invading. Slytherin just isn’t the same anymore,” A deep, masculine voice said.

“There are three of them in my year,” Another voice, slightly higher and reedier yet still masculine, continued.

“I have to share a dorm with one of them,” A voice added, sounding distinctly like Vincent Goyle. Albus took a step back from the door in shock, almost falling into a nearby suit of armour as he realised what they could be talking about – Muggleborns.

“What was that?” A voice demanded from the classroom. Albus didn’t wait around and fled the scene, racing all the way back to the common room, his heart pounding and his head spinning with all the things he had just heard.

“Albus, are you alright?” Marcus asked, yawning and stretching in the armchair by the fire where he had been waiting up for his friend.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Albus said breathlessly in an attempt at nonchalance, “I thought I heard Peeves around the corner behind me so I legged it,”

“Fair enough,” Marcus shrugged as they headed up to the dorm, noting that their room was unusually empty. Albus simply stayed silent and got himself ready for bed.

After that incident, Albus kept his eyes peeled for any other suspicious things at Hogwarts, but whatever that little group of Slytherins were up to, they clearly didn’t want to be caught. Albus could understand why – after the war, the Ministry of Magic had been completely reformed and deemed it a crime to incite hatred towards Muggleborns. The Ministry had no way of stopping people doing what they wanted in private, however. It was when the group grew and started actively recruiting people and causing problems that the Ministry started to get involved. Albus just hoped it never went that far.

It all made him feel a little disappointed. He had a great group of friends who couldn’t care less about blood status, yet if the beliefs of that one group came out, the whole house would be judged. Albus just wished everyone could be nice to other people and respect them – even Scorpius Malfoy!

The first term of Second Year passed by far too quickly. James had forced him to come and support him at Quidditch several times, which had caused tension among his friends when it was Gryffindor versus Slytherin, but Albus knew they didn’t mind all that much really, even when Gryffindor thrashed them at the game.

Before Albus knew what was happening, he was back at home for Christmas. This year, the whole family was coming ‘round for Christmas Eve, and Harry and Ginny were frantically rushing around the kitchen, shooing their children away when they offered to help. It happened every single year, but Albus always offered to help, because at least then they would appreciate the sentiment.

The evening itself passed by smoothly. By the end of the evening, the adults were in the living room, drinking champagne and discussing serious adult stuff that the children wouldn’t possibly understand. Victoire was with them this year, as she had left Hogwarts and was enjoying her apprenticeship at St Mungo’s very much. Teddy, who had turned up much to everyone’s surprise, was hanging out in the conservatory with the rest of Albus’ cousins, as he had broken up with Victoire after she had finished at Hogwarts, and things were still very awkward between the two of them.

Christmas Day itself was as lovely as it ever was. Christmas morning had been just the five of them, snuggled up in blankets as they ate bagels and drank fizzy orange juice and opened a few presents. They then packed up all of their other presents and headed over to Grandma Weasley’s house for a spectacular Christmas dinner. Albus went to bed that evening feeling very full and satisfied, the Potions book that Rose had given him clutched tightly in his hand.

The rest of the Christmas holidays passed in the usual manner, as everyone ate too much food and the adults drank too much alcohol, but soon enough it was time to return to Hogwarts, and Albus, of course, couldn’t wait.


	6. Second Year - Part Two

At the train station on the way back to Hogwarts, Albus hugged Lily tightly as she cried and reminded her that this would be the last time he would have to leave her behind at the station.

Albus had made the decision earlier that day to sit with his cousins on the train, as they usually had a compartment to themselves, and he had spent a lot of time with them over Christmas. He made his apologies to his friends, who swore they didn’t mind, and was relieved when he found his cousins’ compartment with a seat still to spare.

“Hey guys, can I join you?” Albus asked, hovering at the door.

“Sure, come in! We never see you anymore!” Roxanne said enthusiastically, waving him in. She was in the year above Albus at school along with Louis, and quite dreamy and absent-minded. She was the complete opposite of her boisterous older brother Fred, but she was still good company.

Even though Rose wasn’t there, as Albus had seen her and a very queasy looking Ron on the platform, he had a fairly good time on the train. He felt more than a little awkward in his robes and scarf, the green and silver sticking out like a sore thumb in a sea of scarlet and gold. He reasoned that he was probably being ridiculous and paranoid, and as soon as he got rid of that fear he was able to relax, and even shared a few jokes with James before his older brother went off with Fred to find their Fourth Year friends.

Later that evening, Albus left the feast a little early as he didn’t feel too well and wanted to get a good night’s sleep before lessons started the next day. Marcus had offered to come with him, but Albus had declined, saying that he just wanted to be alone. Albus did love his friends, but he appreciated time by himself just as much.

He was just about to head down the stairs that led him to the dungeons when he spotted who he believed were a few of James’ friends, gathered in a corner and whispering furtively, though neither he nor Fred were there. Albus didn’t know what they were doing there and didn’t want to be seen, so he kept his head down and continued walking determinedly.

“Oi, Albus!” A voice he didn’t recognise called out. Albus sighed and turned to face the group of people who were all looking right at him. Albus couldn’t have named a single one of them, but of course they all knew who he was, especially if they were James’ friends.

“What?” Albus asked, his foot hovering slightly in the air at the top of the stairs.

“Why are you in Slytherin?” One of them asked. Albus rolled his eyes.

“I don’t know; why are you in Gryffindor?” He replied, really not in the mood to be dealing with them at that moment.

“Shut up,” Another of them said, a girl with blonde hair and a Gryffindor scarf wound tightly around her neck. She looked too proud and arrogant for Albus’ liking.

“We just think it’s suspicious, you know,” The first speaker continued, a boy with dark, close cropped hair and bushy eyebrows, “clearly there must be something wrong with you. You are the son of Harry Potter, right?”

“So?” He responded angrily, “He couldn’t care less what house I’m in, so why should you?”

“We couldn’t have cared less if you were in Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, but Slytherin – that’s the house all the evil wizards are in.” The girl stated matter of factly. Albus grimaced. He just wanted to go to bed and relax with a good book but clearly things could never happen the way he wanted them to.

“Not all the evil wizards,” Albus defended.

“Yeah, whatever, all we’re saying is a lot of people in your house still believe the old ways, and we wouldn’t want anyone thinking you’re involved,” The boy said. The rest of the group, who had all elected to remain silent, nodded along. Albus wondered if maybe he wasn’t the only one who had overheard that secret meeting; or perhaps that hadn’t been the only meeting, a realisation that filled him with a sick sense of dread.

“Well, tell anyone who thinks that that they’re a complete idiot,” Albus said, turning around and sprinting down the stairs to get away from the group.

So what if he was in Slytherin? So what if Slytherin had produced the largest number of supposedly 'evil' witches and wizards? Obviously most of them had turned out alright! He was mostly angry at the people in his house who hadn’t accepted that things had changed, since those were who people thought of when Slytherin came to mind. Not people like Marcus, who was a Muggleborn, or people like Stella, Rae or Heather who were all half-bloods.

“At least we’re not in Slytherin!” The girl shouted down the stairs after him, the rest of the group’s laughter chasing him as he continued down the corridor to the Slytherin common room. Albus grumbled quietly under his breath about how the universe clearly had it against him. Couldn’t he just have a simple, easy life?

* * *

 

“Albus, have you heard the news?” Albus was shocked out of his usual daze at breakfast a couple of weeks later by his cousin Rose sitting down in front of him and shoving a copy of the Daily Prophet into his face, “Mum told me just before I came back to school but now it’s official and I can tell everybody! She’s the new Minister for Magic!”

Albus took the newspaper from Rose and grinned at her as he scanned the leading article, “ **Potter’s Pal becomes Minister for Magic after predecessor’s nervous breakdown.** ” Albus cringed at the title. They could have at least used his Aunt Hermione’s name instead of focusing on his dad instead. Then again, it was the Daily Prophet, and they could barely go a day without mentioning his dad.

“Congratulations!” Albus enthused, as Stella grabbed the paper from him and scanned through it eagerly as the rest of the group tried to read it over her shoulder, “This is so awesome – we all knew she’d probably get the job, but it’s great to know for sure. I don’t know how you kept it secret.”

“Cheers,” Rose replied, “I mean, I didn’t keep it a total secret – I told Scorpius, but I knew he’d keep it, and I felt like I was going to explode if I didn’t tell anyone!”

  
“That doesn’t surprise me,” Albus laughed, “you’re a total blabbermouth!”

“Am not!” Rose snapped, trying to grab the newspaper from Stella who still held it in an iron grip. Upon realising she wasn’t going to get it back, she got to her feet, ready to go back to the Gryffindor table at the opposite end of the hall.

“This is so cool, Rose!” Stella said suddenly, just as Rose had turned to go, “And it’s so awesome that your mum’s the first black woman to get the post. Tell her congratulations from me.”

“Thanks, Stella, I will,” Rose said, smiling warmly at Albus’ best friend as she offered her the newspaper back. Albus looked round and watched his friend cautiously. If there were two people he absolutely couldn’t imagine getting on, besides himself and Scorpius, it was those two.

“What?” Stella demanded at the looks the rest of her friends were giving her, “It’s awesome. And Rose is pretty cool.”

* * *

 

The next few months passed by without incident for Albus. He didn’t overhear any more mysterious Slytherin gatherings in abandoned classrooms, no more of his brother’s friends had randomly insulted him, although Albus had had quite a shock when he stumbled across James and the blonde girl kissing in a corridor one day, and he was doing reasonably well in all of his lessons. As spring started, his mum even sent him a big packet of hayfever tablets with the family owl, creatively named Owlie by a much younger Albus, and so he could spend time outside with his friends instead of always being cooped up in the library.

In fact, as the weather got warmer and the days got longer, Albus and his friends began to spend the majority of their time outside. They usually did their homework on weekday afternoons after lessons had finished, sitting by the lake or in the courtyard next to the castle. Weekends were spent exploring Hogwarts’ vast grounds, or the castle if the weather was too bad.

Every week they thought they had explored every inch of the castle and its grounds, and each week they were proved wrong. They had even been up to the fringe of the Forbidden Forest once or twice, but they always chickened out of going in at the last moment. Despite that, the area around the Forbidden Forest had breathtaking views of the castle and the lake, so that was where they spent most of their time.

Of course, as soon as they started hanging out around by the Forbidden Forest, not that they had ever gone in, Albus would regularly see some of James’ friends as he was walking around school. Most of the time his brother was with the group so they simply shot him irritated glares, but that wasn’t always the case.

“Look who it is,” The boy with close cropped hair and bushy eyebrows, whose name was Matt, a Fifth Year on the Quidditch team, commented as Albus strolled by, clenching his fists in his pockets. He had soon realised that Matt was the ringleader of their little group.

“Off to go hang out with your little Slytherin friends in the Forbidden Forest again?” The girl hollered, fistbumping the boy next to her. Her name was Emma, as Albus had learned when he cornered James in the corridor to question him about his new girlfriend.

“Yes,” Albus replied in a monotone voice, “I’m off to go plot my revenge against all the Muggleborns in the school in a secret location deep within the Forbidden Forest; with my best friend, a Muggleborn.”

Without another word, Albus stormed off as casually as he possibly could. He was in half a mind to confront his brother about the problem, but knew his brother’s stupid friends would just feign ignorance and deny everything. Still, it remained nothing more than a small and infrequent annoyance.

Unfortunately for Albus, the end of year exams could not have come at a more inconvenient time. His hayfever tablets had run out, and his mum was away yet again, in Argentina reporting for the Daily Prophet, and his dad was absolutely useless at getting things organised, with his long working hours and general messiness.

His exams were going well, or so he thought, until his last exam, Charms. Professor Flitwick had left the windows open and Albus could practically feel the pollen landing on his skin and getting caught in his throat. It was when he realised he had forgotten to bring a tissue with him that the sneezing started, and in desperation he turned to the person next to him for help.

“Hey, could I have a tissue?” He said as quietly as he could, until his sentence ended in a loud, continuous bout of sneezes. The boy next to him simply stared at his own work and refused to look at him. Albus recognised the boy through his bleary eyes by his shock of pale blonde hair. Of course he would be sat next to Scorpius Malfoy. Albus put his hand up, sneezing almost constantly, until Professor Flitwick finally noticed and handed him a tissue.

After the exam was over, Albus was hanging about on the corridor outside, chatting to Marcus about how he thought the exam went, when Scorpius stormed up to him. Marcus raised an eyebrow and slipped away to join Stella and the others, who were eagerly discussing the exam.

“Did you do that on purpose, just to get on my nerves?” Scorpius demanded. Did he really think Albus would go to that length just to annoy him? Well, clearly he did, but that was beside the point.

“What? No, I have hayfever and I ran out of tablets. Not everything’s about you, Malfoy.” He wasn’t sure why he’d used the boy’s last name, but it seemed somehow appropriate.

“I never suggested it was, Potter,” Scorpius replied, affronted, before he turned and ran to join Rose. Albus stood there, slightly baffled, as his friends laughed at him from a few metres away.

“What was that all about?” Rae inquired as Albus finally went and joined them.

“Who even knows?” Albus asked, “Malfoy just seems to hate me for some reason.”

Of course, Scorpius had a perfectly good reason to hate him, but Albus wasn’t about to tell his friends that. They would probably all hate him forever, just like Scorpius did. For the time being, however, Albus was perfectly content to live his life without Scorpius playing any role in it, and was fairly certain Scorpius felt the same.

Now that exams were over, the Second Years were able to choose what subjects to pick for their OWLs, which was a terrifying thought as they were still three years away. They were to choose a minimum of two subjects, but Albus chose three in the end, despite the added workload. In the end, he picked Arithmancy, as he had always enjoyed maths when he was younger, Muggle Studies, because the Muggle world had always fascinated him, and Care of Magical Creatures, not just because Hagrid was the teacher but because it genuinely sounded interesting.

Albus wasn’t at all surprised that Marcus wouldn’t be joining him in Muggle Studies, as he would only have found it incredibly boring. His best friend was also doing Arithmancy and Care of Magical Creatures, as well as Study of Ancient Runes, which Albus hadn’t even considered, as it sounding absolutely bewildering.

A few weeks later, the Second Years received their grades from the exams. Unsurprisingly, Albus hadn’t done fantastically in Charms, but he didn’t mind. He did best in Potions and Herbology, just like he always did, and was very proud of his results overall.

The rest of the year passed by with long, hazy days spent in the sun, either by the lake or in their usual spot by the Forest. On the last day, after a spectacular feast where Ravenclaw had been declared the winners of the House Cup, the six of them exchanged gifts and presents. They were only small things, like sweets or stationery, but Albus felt his heart surge with love for them all.

It was quite a sombre evening for Albus, however, as he was spending the whole holiday in France with his family. The little group stayed out in the courtyard as late as they could, watching the sun set and eating the sweets they’d received.

“Albus, I’m really gonna miss you, you know,” Rae said suddenly from next to him. Even in the twilight, Albus could see the blush on her cheeks, and could feel her shivering next to him.

“Oh, um – I’m gonna miss you too, of course. I’m gonna miss all of you.” He responded awkwardly, as this wasn’t a situation he had ever been in before. It wasn’t something you learned from lessons or could read in a book, after all.

“Right, that’s what I meant,” She replied, giggling softly. She really was quite pretty, Albus thought as she looked away from him to gaze at the rapidly fading sunset, her cheeks still bright red. Without a second thought, Albus leant to the side and kissed her lightly on the cheek. He sat back up straight and bit his lip nervously, but she just laughed softly again, got to her feet, winked at him, and walked away, dragging Heather with her. The two of them disappeared inside, arm in arm and deep in conversation.

Albus sat there, in a daze, as Stella, Marcus, and Jasper sidled up to him and began their interrogation, not that he could tell them much. They grilled him anyway, and the four of them had quite a hilarious discussion about who they liked, but then the sun set and they headed back inside, sides hurting with laughter.

The next day at the station, after the train ride home in which Stella and Marcus hadn’t let them have a moment’s silence, Rae approached him shyly, which was very unlike her as she was usually quite outspoken.

“Hey,” She said with a coy smile, “here’s my address if you ever want to message me, although I will be in America so you may want to send it by actual mail,” She handed him a slip of paper, glancing wide-eyed behind him at his dad before rushing back to her parents.

Albus turned to find his whole family staring at him, as James burst out laughing and began to chant “Albus has a girlfriend!” before Lily kicked him.

“Hey, Lily,” Albus said, giving her a hug, “next time you’ll be coming with me!”

Lily grinned and began discussing Hogwarts with him as they went to find the car, ignoring James’ interjections with a roll of the eye. Harry and Ginny laughed from behind them, hands linked. Albus just knew this was going to be an excellent summer with his family, though he didn’t doubt that he would miss his friends, and Hogwarts.


	7. Third Year - Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope you're all enjoying this so far, and remember, these chapters are just kind of... setting the scene. once we reach sixth year, things'll slow down a lot.

“Wake up, Albus - we're going to Hogwarts today!” Being woken up by Lily on the first day of a new school year seemed to be becoming something of a tradition. Albus glanced at the clock and, upon seeing that it was only 6am, he groaned, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and sitting up straight.

“Why didn’t you go bother mum and dad first? Or James?” Albus asked, yawning as if to make a point.

“Don’t worry, I already did,” Lily said, beaming. She was far too cheery for this time in the morning, “they’re making pancakes if you come downstairs by the way.”

Sighing at his perpetually crazy family, Albus dragged himself out of bed and wrapped his dressing gown around himself before heading downstairs, from where he could smell bacon frying and coffee being made.

“Can I have some coffee?” Albus inquired innocently as he entered the kitchen.

“No!” Ginny shouted, just as Harry shrugged and said, “Sure, why not?”

“Ugh, this is disgusting!” Albus complained as he took the first sip of the steaming mug his dad handed to him, but he drank it all because he was up at 6am and had a long day ahead of him, so why the hell not.

He had had an amazing summer in France, but was beyond relieved to be returning to Hogwarts, where everything had a routine and he could spend more time with his friends, as he hadn’t seen them since July and despite the messages they had exchanged, nothing was quite as good as seeing them in person.

The rest of the morning passed by in a blur of excitement and sometimes annoyance, as all three siblings tried to pack up the rest of their stuff. It would have been much simpler if James hadn’t kept nicking Albus’ stuff, which resulted in several fights between the two of them, which their parents always had to separate. They admonished James, telling him he needed to grow up as this was his fifth year at Hogwarts and he would have to knuckle down for his OWLs. Albus was just relieved that his were still two years away.

It was quite a surprise when the five of them got to the station and discovered that Harry wasn’t the centre of attention for once. Instead, Hermione, Ron and their children stood on the platform awkwardly, surrounded by congratulatory parents, and some parents who angrily demanded to know whether she only got the post because of her friendship with Harry Potter, which she of course vehemently denied.

When Rose and Hugo spotted the three of them through the crowd, they came rushing over, pushing their way past overly concerned parents. Albus hugged each of them tightly, as they hadn’t seen one another since before summer.

“How are you doing, Rose?” He asked as Rose released him from the hug.

“I’m good, thanks; I can’t wait to start learning Arithmancy and Ancient Runes and even Muggle Studies!” She enthused. Albus grinned, wondering if maybe she would be better suited in Ravenclaw sometimes.

“Rose, how many extra subjects are you taking?” Albus questioned, raising an eyebrow.

“Only those three,” She defended, “Mum wouldn’t let me take any more but she wouldn’t explain why.”

“It’s probably so your brain doesn’t explode.” Albus laughed, “But I did think you’d be doing Care of Magical Creatures with me,”

“Oh, I was going to – but Scorpius convinced me to take Ancient Runes instead.” She shrugged, “Plus I think it sounds pretty interesting.”

“I see,” Albus said drily, though he really didn’t. He and Rose had made a pact back in First Year that they would take the class together. Clearly, she had completely forgotten, but Albus wasn’t going to hold it against her since it was really quite petty.

Rose left after that to go and find Scorpius and Astrid, who were waiting for her on the train. Albus went to go and find his own friends, but had Lily tagging along with him. Albus let her, since she didn’t yet know anyone her own age.

“Hey, Albus!” Stella yelled, waving frantically from a couple of feet away to get his attention. She was standing with Jasper, and Rae, who blushed at the sight of him.

“Hey guys, is it cool if my little sister tags along?” He asked as he hugged each of them, his cheeks flushing red involuntarily as he put his arms around Rae, “She doesn’t know anyone yet.”

“Sure,” Stella said, grinning at Lily, “Nice to meet you.”

With that, everyone piled onto the train and went in search of a reasonably empty compartment. Finally they found one with only two other people inside, who were thankfully Third Years too, so everyone nodded at each other and went inside.

“Hey, is it ok if we sit in here?” Albus asked. The two people both nodded, and Albus realised he recognised one of them, Haruko, from the train a few years ago. The other, a black boy with a short afro and thick-rimmed glasses, he recognised from a few of the classes he had shared with the Ravenclaws.

“Sure,” Haruko said, her ponytail swinging behind her, “I’m Haruko and this is Kofi, if anyone didn’t know.”

“Hey,” Kofi said, grinning at them all. His eyes widened a little when he recognised Albus and Lily, but he wisely kept his mouth shut.

“Nice to meet you,” Stella said warmly, “I’m Stella, and this is Jasper, Rae, Albus, and Albus’ little sister, Lily. She’s a First Year.”

The train journey was as fun as it ever was, as the Slytherins got to know the Ravenclaws and wondered why they weren’t already friends, as they had a lot in common. Albus also couldn’t help but wonder where Marcus and Heather were, but reasoned they had found their own compartment.

“Albus...” Rae said quietly about halfway through the journey, “Do you want to go to Hogsmeade with me?”

“Um.” Albus replied eloquently. He had barely had time to think about Hogsmeade over the summer, and his dad had only signed the form at the very last minute, but now that he thought about it, he would very much like to go to Hogsmeade with her, “Yes, of course, that would be lovely,” He finally managed to stutter.

“Awesome!” She smiled, taking his hand in hers. They held hands for the rest of the journey, and Albus couldn’t help but blush at Stella’s pointed looks and Lily’s raised eyebrows. Albus supposed this meant they must be dating, a thought which made him feel all warm and tingly inside and made butterflies dance in his stomach.

Albus and his friends met up with Marcus and Heather at the carriages after he had hugged his sister goodbye and sent her off to the boats with Hagrid, wishing her good luck for the Sorting Ceremony. Albus realised he really had no idea which house she’d be sorted into.

At the Sorting Ceremony, Albus sat nervously as everyone waited for the First Years to arrive. He chatted idly with Rae as he continued to ponder on which house his sister would be Sorted into. Eventually, as Albus’ stomach began to rumble, the First Years were bundled in by Professor Holland. Albus wondered if he had looked so small and nervous two years ago, which he almost certainly had. It was still amusing when the rip in the brim of the Sorting Hat opened and began to sing, causing several of the First Years to jump up in surprise.

Albus smiled absentmindedly at the students who were Sorted into Slytherin, until finally Professor Holland called out “Potter, Lily,” and the hall exploded in whispers, just as it had done for him. Albus waved at her encouragingly as she stumbled up to the front.

The Hat seemed to take a long time to make its decision. The hall was completely silent with anticipation until at last the Hat declared “HUFFLEPUFF!”

The Hufflepuff table erupted in rapturous applause as Lily placed the Sorting Hat back on the stool and hurried over to join them, waving wildly at Albus, who was cheering more loudly than anyone else at the Slytherin table. He was quite surprised that Lily was in Hufflepuff, but Albus knew she would enjoy it there due to her intrinsically kind nature and easy ability to make friends.

At the other end of the hall, James and all of his cousins were cheering loudly as well. Albus felt a little awkward, as none of them had cheered when he had been Sorted into Slytherin.

After Hugo became the last person in the year to be Sorted into Gryffindor, the rest of the welcoming feast passed by in the usual manner, with a speech by Headmaster Shacklebolt and a fabulous array of foods and desserts. After that, Albus and his friends returned to the common room, sleepy and satisfied.

The next morning, after Albus had received his timetable and wolfed down his breakfast, he had his first Arithmancy class with Professor Vector. Unlike the compulsory classes, there were students of every house. From Slytherin there was just him, Marcus and Heather. From Ravenclaw he recognised Haruko and Kofi and waved them over. The group chatted casually while waiting for their teacher, mostly about what they were expecting of Arithmancy.

“Hello, Third Years,” Vector announced, sweeping around the corner and up to the door in a rather dramatic fashion. She had long, dark hair liberally streaked with grey, and wore long robes in a deep emerald colour. Above all, she had a very commanding voice and presence, and Albus just knew she was going to be a fantastic, if rather strict, teacher.

“Come in, come in,” She said as she ushered them into the room, “I will now sit you next to the person with whom you’ll be spending the remainder of your Arithmancy lessons. You will work on projects together, help each other, and hopefully you will also get along with each other. So as not to introduce any bias, I have done this randomly – but remember, nothing is ever completely random.”

Without further ado, she sorted the class into pairs. Heather was seated with Haruko, Marcus with Rose, and Kofi with a Hufflepuff girl whose name he couldn’t remember. The class was whittled down until it was just Albus and Scorpius left standing. Of course; as Professor Vector had said, nothing was ever completely random, and the universe really did seem to have it in for Albus.

“Malfoy and Potter, here by the front,” She commanded, before striding up to the blackboard at the front of the room and beginning her lecture without further ado. Albus hurriedly slid into the seat that put him closest to Marcus. He smiled politely at Scorpius, but the other boy appeared to be going out of his way to ignore him.

The lesson itself passed by quickly. Professor Vector was, as Albus had suspected, quite a strict teacher, but she was also very fair, and even gave out a couple of house points. The lesson was mostly just an in-depth introduction to the subject and so thankfully, Albus didn’t have to communicate with Scorpius in any way. At the end of the lesson, Vector set the class some research homework.

“You research the history,” Scorpius said quietly from beside him, “I’ll research the qualitative values.”

“Sure,” Albus shrugged. It would have been easier if they could have just worked together, but he wasn’t sure Scorpius would be a fan. The second Vector dismissed them, Scorpius joined Rose and the pair of them strolled out of the classroom, in animated conversation.

“Your cousin’s actually pretty cool,” Marcus said as they walked to their next lesson, Herbology with the Ravenclaws. Marcus glanced back at Rose with a dream-like look in his eyes.

“Um, okay,” Albus replied awkwardly, “Well observed.”

After that, Albus managed to settle into a nice routine. His lessons were all going well, and he managed to spend lots of time with Rae each week, although he was still too shy to do more than kiss her on the cheek occasionally.

Care of Magical Creatures was certainly an experience, but Albus soon found he couldn’t wait for the next lesson. The class was very small, but it was for the best. From Slytherin there was only him, Marcus and Rae, who was a keen animal lover. Albus was quite surprised to see Scorpius Malfoy, but he was with Astrid and the two kept to themselves.

After over twenty years of teaching, Hagrid’s curriculum had become more organised and far more legal than it had been when his dad was at Hogwarts. There were no more blast-ended skrewts or Hippogriffs, and Albus found he didn’t mind spending the first few weeks caring for flobberworms.

Muggle Studies with Professor Creevey was also fantastic, and not just because Albus got to sit next to Rose and catch up with her briefly before each lesson. She was very amused to discover he had a girlfriend. Albus had had a reasonable amount of exposure to the Muggle world growing up, but he felt that Muggle Studies would really enrich it. Albus particularly enjoyed learning about the internet, though unfortunately it couldn’t be accessed at Hogwarts.

In October, Stella announced that she had tried out for the Quidditch team and was one of their new Chasers. Albus hugged her and congratulated her, but secretly he was a little annoyed as it meant he would actually have to attend the Quidditch matches this year, which he had managed to avoid at the end of last year by getting his friends to tell him the scores after each of James’ matches.

The first Quidditch match of the season was Slytherin vs. Hufflepuff, and so Albus dutifully wrapped up warm in a scarf and coat and joined his friends to watch Stella play. Albus didn’t have a clue what was going on, but Stella scored a goal or two and in the end the Slytherin seeker caught the Snitch and won the match.

That evening in the common room there was a massive celebration. The Seventh Years had managed to get a hold of copious amounts of alcohol, but were deftly assuring that the younger years couldn’t get to it. Albus had tried wine before and found it disgusting, so he was content to stand awkwardly in the corner of the room with his friends and a flask of pumpkin juice. He went to bed reasonably early, as it was the first Hogsmeade visit of the year the next day and he wanted to be as alert as possible.

“Morning, Albus,” Rae said cheerily the next morning at breakfast as she skipped up to him and pecked him lightly on the cheek before taking the seat next to his. Albus sipped his coffee in silence, pulling a disgusted face after every slurp.

“Just add some cream and sugar,” Rae suggested as Albus actually shuddered from the taste of it.

“Mum and Dad say that’s not proper coffee,” Albus said as he drained the last drops and tried his best to keep a composed face, “Anyway, what do you want to do today?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Rae said, twirling her hair with her fingers, “I thought we might just look around a bit, maybe go for a stroll without the others around to bother us.”

“That sounds perfect,” Albus said, grinning.

And it was. The day couldn’t have gone more perfectly. He and Rae got the carriage down to the little village with their friends, and then wandered off on their own for a little while to look around the shops. Albus replenished his sweet supply at Honeyduke’s, while Rae bought some new quills at Scrivenshaft’s. The pair considered going into Madame Puddifoots for a drink and some cake, but decided it looked far too sickly and went to the Three Broomsticks instead.

The interior of the pub was warm and friendly, and though it was rather packed, Albus and Rae managed to find seats. Albus went and got butterbeers for the both of them and they drank them slowly while discussing all of the wonderful things to see and do in Hogsmeade.

“Rae, um, you have a bit of butterbeer, right there,” Albus leaned forward with the intention of wiping the butterbeer off her top lip, but instead found himself being quite thoroughly kissed. His cheeks flushed bright red with embarrassment, but he soon realised it wasn’t all that bad and kissing was actually quite nice. It was a quick kiss, over in only a few seconds, and Rae burst out giggling the second their lips parted.

“Sorry about that,” She laughed, “I didn’t mean to –”

“That’s alright,” Albus said. He glanced away from Rae and through the crowd noticed Scorpius kissing Astrid, their cheeks both bright red, as Rose sat next to the pair of them, looking bored out of her mind. She met eyes with Albus briefly and, glancing at the couple next to her with disgust, got up and came to join him.

“Don’t think I didn’t notice you two,” She said brusquely as she took the seat opposite them, “I didn’t leave one lovey-dovey couple just to go join another, so keep your hands and your lips to yourself.”

Albus chuckled at that, but knowing what his cousin was like, was content to hold hands surreptitiously with Rae under the table. The three of them chatted amiably until their rest of their group, including Jasper, Haruko and Kofi, came to join them.

“Hey Rose,” Stella said brightly as she squeezed tightly into the seat next to her, “Not with Scorpius?”

“No, he’s making out with Astrid and I decided anything’s better than being subjected to that, so I came over here. Luckily my cousin and his girlfriend stopped kissing just in time,” Rose rolled her eyes and made gagging noises. Stella snorted with laughter, her braids clicking.

“What do you reckon we all get a drink, and then go check out the Shrieking Shack?” Marcus suggested, blushing slightly when Rose nodded in agreement. Heather and Kofi went to get the drinks, and they spent a good hour in the pub, laughing and joking and forgetting their troubles. With Rose from Gryffindor, they were the perfect picture of interhouse harmony.

When they left the pub, Scorpius and Astrid were still together, talking with their heads close. Rose snorted with derision and grabbed Stella’s arm, leading her outside while complaining loudly about her best friend. Albus and Rae followed, laughing at Rose’s reaction.

As it turned out, the Shrieking Shack was a complete disappointment. For starters, it wasn’t shrieking, and while it certainly looked a little spooky, there was a large fence around its perimeter preventing anyone from getting close. There was a little plaque detailing the shack’s history and importance in the war, but Albus had heard enough about that to last him a lifetime.

Sometime in the middle of November, Albus received a letter from his parents announcing that they would be away over Christmas, so he and his siblings would have to remain at Hogwarts. He felt a little disheartened, as it would be his first Christmas away from his home and family, but he felt much better when some of his friends offered to stay with him.

“What? No, you can’t just stay here because of me!” Albus said defiantly a few days later when Marcus and Stella informed him that they had owled their parents about it and they had agreed.

“Tough,” Stella said, “it’s a done deal. Anyway, I want to see what Christmas is like around this place, without my dad here. Not to mention my little brother is teething and it’s super annoying.”

“As if you wouldn’t do the same for us,” Marcus added. Albus guiltily admitted that he would have done exactly the same thing, but he still felt bad that they were going to all that effort just for him.

He actually felt quite relieved that it was only those two staying. Rae, of course, had to visit her family in America, though Albus promised to send her a card and present, and the others already had other arrangements.

The slight disappointment of having to stay at Hogwarts was soon forgotten by the arrival of the first fall of snow near the end of November. Albus had woken up that morning with the distinct sense that something was different, and had almost jumped for joy when he looked out of the window and saw the hills and peaks around Hogwarts blanketed in heavy snow.

“I have two words for you all today,” Stella declared at breakfast, “Snowball fight! I’m gonna invite Jasper, Haruko, Kofi, and I thought maybe Rose and her friends if that’s alright with you, Albus?”

Albus decided that it was, and a couple of hours later the peculiar group of Third Years headed outside, bundled up in cloaks and scarves and gloves, all buzzing at the prospect of a snowball fight. They were by no means the only ones. Across the vast open space, Albus could see countless students throwing snowballs and making snowmen, though no one had dared to try skating on the lake yet, as the ice looked dangerously thin.

Eventually the group found a secluded spot in their usual space in front of the Forbidden Forest, and soon the snowball fight was underway. As there were eleven of them, Astrid decided that she would referee, as that way the game could be Slytherin against the other houses, which everyone except the Slytherins found completely hilarious.

It was all going so fantastically well, with the Slytherin team several points ahead, until a gigantic snowball Albus had intended to throw at Rose went stray, hitting Scorpius right in the face. The force of the blow knocked him to the floor where he lay for a few seconds, not moving. Albus cursed under his breath and joined the rest of his team as they ran to check if he was okay, even though he knew his help wouldn’t be appreciated.

“Oh Merlin, I’m so sorry, that was meant to hit Rose, are you okay?” Albus babbled as Scorpius finally sat up, a large purple bruise already beginning to form on his forehead. He did not look pleased.

“Oh, that was meant to hit me, was it?” Rose asked sarcastically as she formed a snowball in her hands, “Charmed, I’m sure,” She said as she pelted the snowball right into Albus’ face and knocked him backwards onto his bottom. He spat out a mouthful of snow, glaring angrily at her all the while.

The rest of the game continued in a much more informal way as people lobbed snow at whoever happened to be closest or most annoying at that particular moment. Albus got hit a lot, particularly by Rose, but overall the game was fun and messy and soon they were all out of breath, breathing heavily with pink cheeks and cold noses.

Scorpius spent the rest of the game sitting out next to Astrid, who tended his wounds whenever she wasn’t glaring at Albus. When the two of them started kissing, Rose loudly declared that the game was over and they should head back to the castle, dragging the others girls with her without another word. Rae glanced back and sent Albus an apologetic frown as the boys followed behind, still throwing snow at each other.

Since the start of the year, there had been a little stall in the corner of the courtyard selling drinks and snacks, run by the Seventh Years, and that was where the group headed. They found an empty table and sat around with steaming mugs of hot chocolate or coffee, chatting casually. Scorpius and Astrid never rejoined them, but Rose didn’t seem to care too much.

“Christmas is going to be awesome here,” Stella said, grinning. Marcus nodded vigorously, managing to pull his gaze away from Rose. He was completely besotted with her, much to Albus’ amusement, as Rose paid very little attention to him.

The Christmas holidays came quickly, and soon enough Albus was kissing Rae goodbye at the carriages and hugging his friends and cousins goodbye before the carriages drove them down to the train station at Hogsmeade. Within moments, it was just him, Stella, Marcus, James, Lily and a few others standing there awkwardly, not quite sure what to do next.

Albus was glad to see Lily, as she had been preoccupied with her own friends whenever he saw her and he hadn’t been able to get a word in edgeways. He rarely saw James, either, but James probably preferred it that way. Albus knew he did.

“Now then, little siblings, what mischief shall we get up to this merry holiday?” James grinned wickedly as he ruffled Albus and Lily’s hair. Albus groaned as Stella and Marcus laughed at him.

“How would I know?” Albus asked, “You’re the mischievous one.”

“What?” James demanded, affronted, “I have never been in trouble in my entire life.”

Albus snorted with derision as the five of them headed inside. He was certain that his holidays would now consist solely of his friends laughing at him as James made his usual witty remarks. The thought of that filled Albus with dread, but it wasn’t as if James would actually be willing to join him in the Slytherin dungeons, so he figured the holidays could definitely be worse.


	8. Third Year - Part Two

“Albus!” Rae squeaked when she saw him waiting by the castle on the first day of the new term, running up to him and enveloping him in a big hug. James caught his eye from a few metres away and winked at him in an exaggerated fashion. Albus would have punched him, if he could have moved.

“It’s so good to see you, I missed you so much,” She gushed, right before reaching up and kissing him deeply. Behind her, James exploded in fits of laughter and Lily looked absolutely traumatised. Someone wolf whistled, and Albus put his middle finger up in their general direction.

“It’s, uh, good to see you too. Thanks for the card and present, they were really sweet,” He said as Rae pulled away, taking her hand and leading her inside. His mind was reeling with the realisation that he hadn’t missed her that much at all and had only really thought about her when he received her present and hastily sent one off himself. He thought about it all through the feast, and that evening in the common room as they talked and flirted.

He thought about it for the next few weeks, and he even consulted with Stella and Marcus, who both agreed that they should break up. Stella said she’d noticed that things had become a little awkward between them and weren’t as magical as they were before, and Marcus simply told him to follow his heart. They weren’t much help at all, but by the end of talking to them Albus thought he had made a concrete decision; he was going to have to break up with Rae.

However, due to the amount of homework they received over the next couple of weeks, and the fact that their friends never left them alone, Albus barely managed to talk to Rae alone, which was in itself quite a strong argument for breaking up with her. In fact, the pair didn’t manage to get any proper time alone until the Hogsmeade visit on Valentine’s Day, which was without doubt the worst day to break up with anybody, but he had to. He felt he couldn’t keep going out with a girl he wasn’t sure he wanted to be with.

“Rae, I think we need to talk,” Albus said sternly as they wandered along a path just outside the village.

“Yeah, me too,” She said, coming to a stop. It had begun to snow, and Albus watched the flakes drift onto her hair and long eyelashes. She really was quite beautiful; it was just a shame that the two of them weren’t quite compatible.

“Wait, you do?” Albus asked curiously, “In that case, you go first.”

“Okay, I’m just going to go for it – I think we need to break up,” She blurted, glancing up at him with wide, guilty eyes.

“That was actually what I wanted to talk to you about,” Albus said, letting out a sigh of relief. He hadn’t expected that at all, but it made things much easier, “I’m just glad we’re on the same page.”

“Me too,” Rae agreed, smiling. The pair stood in the falling snow in silence for a little while longer, watching the village.

“Friends?” Albus asked eventually, hoping that Rae would agree. They had been good friends before and while things between them would certainly be awkward for a little while, Albus was sure things could go back to normal in time. Rae nodded, and after a few more moments of silent contemplation, they headed to the Three Broomsticks where everyone had agreed to meet.

Their friends soon realised that everything was not quite right when Albus and Rae sat on opposite ends of the table. Albus squeezed in next to Stella and opposite Marcus while Rae took the seat next to Heather. In seconds, the two of them were deep in conversation that Albus just knew would be about him. Next to Marcus was Rose and Astrid, but Scorpius was nowhere to be seen.

“Hey, is everything alright?” He asked Astrid, who sniffled and blew her nose.

“Scorpius just broke up with Astrid; on Valentine’s Day, too. When I find him, I’m going to give him such a piece of my mind!” Rose clenched her fist as she continued to comfort Astrid, whose eyes were rimmed with red, “Everything okay with you?”

“Rae and I broke up. Clearly today is not a good day for couples,” Albus shrugged as Rose gave her condolences. After a while, the room began to feel a little stuffy, so Albus made his apologies and left, in the hopes of a nice long walk back to the castle to clear his head. Marcus and Stella offered to come with him, but he shooed them away.

The walk was nice and refreshing, if a little chilly. After all, it was still February and it was still snowing. Albus didn’t really mind being a little cold and windswept, as he enjoyed the solitude just as much as he enjoyed company. When he saw Scorpius Malfoy walking a little way ahead of him, he didn’t hesitate to say hello to the other boy.

“Hey, Scorpius,” Albus called, jogging to his side, his breath catching slightly from the cold, crisp air, “Sorry to hear about you and Astrid – that totally sucks, mate.”

Scorpius turned to face him with a haughty look, however he kept walking, so Albus stayed by his side.

“Sorry, I didn’t realise we were friends.” Scorpius finally said after a few moments of distinctly awkward silence.

“Well, I mean, you, Rose, and Astrid hang out with us sometimes so I thought... Maybe you’d forgotten all that commotion in First Year. Which I’m still really sorry about, by the way,” Albus shrugged as he tried to get his breath to return to normal.

“I haven’t forgotten, actually,” Scorpius said drily, not even deigning to look in his direction. He stopped abruptly, causing Albus to crash into him. He stepped back, apologising profusely, but Scorpius hadn’t appeared to notice.

“In fact, your stupid brother and his friends still bully me at every opportunity they get, and I’m sick and tired of it! Not to mention all three of you act all so smug and superior, like you’re better than me just because your dad happens to be Harry Potter,” Scorpius ranted, like this was something he’d been meaning to get out of his system for a long time.

“Excuse me?” Albus demanded, “Alright, James can be a bit of a prick at times, I have first hand experience of that myself, but that has nothing to do with being Harry Potter’s son. Actually, it’s pretty bloody difficult. Everyone expects you to be so perfect and when you’re not, they think you’re a failure. And don’t go acting like your family’s any better – my parents told me everything you and your elitist family did to them, and I’m finding it hard right now to believe you’re any better!”

“Oh yeah?” Scorpius spat, his cheeks flushed bright red, “and I suppose that means you must know everything about me then!”

“I know enough to know you’re just as much of an arrogant prat as your father was! I know enough to know that Rose deserves a much better friend than you!” Albus yelled.

“Oh, and I suppose you know that I was raised as a Muggle, hey?” Scorpius shouted back, his fists clenched, “I suppose you know that my dad left his old life behind, went to a Muggle university and became a well respected surgeon, hey? Look at you, Potter, you know everything! I suppose you know how much my parents cried after I got my Hogwarts letter because they were afraid of what people would think of me – people like you! And then you had to go and open your big stupid mouth and let me know my father, the best man I know, was a Death Eater!”

Albus stood rooted to the spot in shock as Scorpius stood in front of him, breathing heavily, clenching and unclenching his fists as if he really needed to punch something. Suddenly he sighed, letting his hands fall back down to his sides. He seemed to deflate completely.

“Just leave me alone, okay?” Scorpius pleaded quietly, his eyes red as if he were on the verge of tears. Albus’ heart was beating rapidly in his chest and a sick feeling of dread sank into his stomach. He wanted to say something, say anything, but he couldn’t work enough moisture into his mouth. The two of them stood like that for a few minutes, eyes locked and stances suggestive of a standoff, until at last Scorpius turned and stalked off.

“Scorpius, I –” Albus called after him rather pathetically. He was surprised he could speak at all, as he wasn’t sure he’d be capable of it.

“Don’t call me that!” Scorpius shrieked, turning briefly to face him before striding away quickly, “Call me Malfoy, you don’t deserve to call me anything else.”

Albus made it back to the castle eventually, though he couldn’t for the life of him remember any part of the journey except for the chill he felt that had nothing to do with the weather. When his friends returned and found him in the common room, gazing listlessly into the fire and scowling, they remarked on his sour mood, but he claimed it was just the break up.

After the argument, Scorpius paid hardly any attention to Albus at all. If they passed each other in the corridor, Scorpius would look away, and Albus began to dread Arithmancy as the other boy became so difficult to work with. It wasn’t that he made things difficult, but he certainly didn’t make things easy. When there was something that Albus didn’t understand, he would either have to wait until the end of the lesson to ask someone else, or ask Professor Vector for help, which she loathed to give.

In fact, the only time Scorpius ever talked to him at all was to tell him which section of the homework he’d be working on. It wasn’t a perfect system, and Albus was sure they would have to actually work together one day, but for now Albus didn’t mind; he would do anything to avoid the cold glares or the blanking.

* * *

 

For the next few months, life at Hogwarts settled into a regular routine. Things were still a little awkward between Albus and Rae, but he knew it would pass eventually. His friends dragged him to every Quidditch game, despite his vehement protests, and after Stella sat him down one afternoon to patiently explain all of the rules to him, he found he actually quite enjoyed watching the game itself, and even joined Marcus at watching a few of the Slytherin team’s practice sessions.

One Friday evening in early April, Albus was walking to his dorm alone from the owlery. It was quite late, and he should really have been in bed, but he’d put off replying to his parents’ last letter for so long that he really felt he should reply. In fact, it was nearly midnight, so Albus was quite surprised when he strolled past the group of Gryffindors that James and Fred were usually a part of, though they were nowhere to be seen.

“Look who it is!” One of them shouted. Albus rolled his eyes and continued walking by, doing his best to ignore them. His cheeks burned as he felt their eyes on the back of his head and he was all too aware of their unusually raucous laughter, but he managed to get to the common room and into bed without seeing another soul.

The next morning, he awoke a little later than usual due to his night time trek, and stumbled down to the dining hall still half asleep, in search of a big steaming mug of coffee and some sugary cereal. He paid no attention to all the stares aimed in his direction as he entered the Great Hall and took a seat opposite Marcus, who was also looking at him funnily.

“Morning,” He muttered, pouring himself a cup of coffee and holding it between his hands to keep himself warm, “What?” He asked, as he finally realised that pretty much everyone in the hall was watching him, “Surely they’re used to the fact I’m Harry Potter’s son by now…”

“Um, no, I don’t think it’s that,” Marcus said, glancing at Stella.

“Albus, have you, uh, looked in a mirror today?” She asked, grinning slightly.

“No…” He replied, looking at her warily. Across the hall, a group of Gryffindor Fourth Years were snickering loudly. Stella reached into the bag she carried with her at all times and pulled out a compact mirror, opening it and turning it in Albus’ direction. He nearly dropped his mug in horror when he caught his reflection and realised that his hair had somehow become a dark shade of green, exactly the colour of Slytherin house.

“What the hell?” He yelled, putting the mug down roughly and running his hands frantically through his hair. He had no way of knowing for certain, but he had a pretty good idea of who had done it. Without another thought, he handed Stella her mirror back and stormed over to the Gryffindor table to confront James and his friends.

“I know one of you did this, but who was it?” He demanded. James frowned as if confused while the rest of his friends giggled incessantly around him. From further down the table he could see Rose, Astrid, and even Scorpius peering at him curiously. His cheeks burned with embarrassment.

“Mate, we know you’re in Slytherin, but that’s taking it a bit far, don’t you think?” A Sixth Year, who Albus recognised as James’ friend Matt, yelled. Albus saw red and rushed forward to punch the boy but was surprised when James held him back, a serious look on his face for once in his life.

“Hey, little bro, just leave it, okay,” James said in an almost soothing voice, unlike anything Albus had ever heard from him before, “If you want, I can change it back right now.”

Albus considered it, but then decided that the best course of action would be to keep the hair and wear it proudly, as he figured it would annoy James’ friends to no end. And apart from anything else, he fancied a change – so why not a change in hair colour?

The green hair garnered quite a few stares and even a few disgusted glares from the Gryffindors, but Albus wore it proudly, even if his friends wouldn’t let him go around the castle on his own anymore. It was a little irritating, but he knew his friends only had his best interests at heart.

After that, and for most of the rest of the year, James’ friends never even bothered them, as it was obvious that their plan had backfired. Albus had also noticed that James was spending considerably less time with them than he had before, but since he was the most popular guy in Gryffindor, he had plenty of other friends.

As it was, the rest of the year couldn’t really have passed more smoothly. Ginny had remembered to send enough hayfever tablets, and so none of his exams were ruined by uncontrollable bouts of sneezing. Scorpius still refused to talk to him, but somehow they managed to get by in Arithmancy. More than anything, Albus was just relieved that his exams were over for another year and he could relax for a little while.

It was strange, but Rose, Astrid and Scorpius somehow became a part of their group, and joined them every time they went and hung out by their usual spot by the Forbidden Forest. Scorpius pointedly ignored him every single time, which Albus could live with, as he usually had Stella or Marcus to talk to. Still, he couldn’t help wishing that the other boy would just forgive him, just to relieve a little of the tension.

Lily also seemed to be fitting in incredibly well. She had friends in her own house, but nobody minded when she came and sat with Albus and his friends at dinner or breakfast, and not only because she liked to tell embarrassing stories about Albus when he was little. She had also done incredibly well in her First Year exams and Albus couldn’t have been prouder of her.

Albus couldn’t help but think that things were going just a little too well, and his suspicions were proved correct on the very last night of term. He had spontaneously decided it would be a good idea to sneak out for a night-time stroll around the castle on his own, which in retrospect wasn’t the best idea he had ever had. With his hair still green, he was an easy target to spot, especially for any Gryffindors who liked to lurk in corridors just waiting for Slytherins to taunt.

“Hey, Albus,” Emma shouted as Albus sauntered around a random corridor someone on the third floor. Albus had heard a few weeks ago from an overexcited Lily that she and James had finally split up, and it was all anyone in Gryffindor was talking about.

“Oh, hello.” Albus said in the most sarcastic tone of voice he could muster up, “I’d almost begun to miss seeing you guys around everywhere I go.”

“Yeah, whatever,” Emma said nonchalantly, paying more attention to her nails than to him, “We’ve wanted to get you alone for a long time now, haven’t we, guys?”

The rest of the group, about five or six boys, nodded menacingly, and before Albus had time to act one of the boys cried out ‘Petrificus Totalus!’ He struggled wildly against the jinx, but soon discovered that all he could move was his eyeballs. The most Albus could do was close his eyes and hope for the best as the group fired more jinxes in his direction until they eventually resorted to kicks and punches as he lay uselessly on the ground, feeling more pathetic and embarrassed than he ever had in his entire life. There was simply nothing he could do; he couldn’t even wince at the pain. The group finally backed off, but Albus kept his eyes tightly shut for fear of opening them again.

“I think we showed him.” A gruff, masculine voice chuckled, “Let it be a warning to the rest of the Slytherins – not even Albus Potter is safe!”

For a little while there was only silence after the group had left, laughing and high-fiving each other. Albus could do nothing but lie there, hopelessly, waiting for the spell to wear off, his sides burning from the impact of the kicks and his eye bruised from where it had been punched. He could barely begin to comprehend what had just happened.

“Bloody hell.” Came a voice from somewhere off to his left, “That was horrific. Hang on; I guess I’d better help you.”

Albus opened his eyes a little but could see little more than a blur of the person at his side. Whoever they were, they whispered the countercurse to the petrifying spell. Albus quickly found, to his relief, that he could move his limbs freely. He sat up, groaning, and leaned against the wall, carefully touching the tender spot on his side. He opened his eyes fully and was baffled to see Scorpius Malfoy kneeling in front of him looking distinctly disgruntled.

“Don’t think this means I like you.” He said, getting to his feet, “But I’ve been the victim of loads of their jinxes and I know how horrible it is, so come on, I guess I’d better take you to the hospital wing.”

Scorpius offered his hand unwillingly, but Albus simply rolled his eyes and attempted to pull himself to his feet despite his legs wobbling. After several failed attempts, he finally accepted Scorpius’ offer and let the other boy pull him to his feet, his legs shaking all the while.

“Potter, you look a total wreck,” Scorpius said, wiping his hands on his robes as if they had been contaminated. Clearly very little had changed between them.

  
“I can get myself to the hospital wing myself, Malfoy,” Albus grunted, leaning against the wall for support.

“Yeah, alright,” Scorpius scoffed, “Good luck getting there with that jelly legs jinx.”

“Use the bloody countercurse then,” Albus said, narrowing his eyes angrily in Scorpius’ direction, struggling to keep his balance. He muttered a reluctant thank you as Scorpius removed the curse, then headed towards the hospital wing with the other boy as his shadow.

“Seriously, I don’t need your help,” Albus snapped as he limped down the stairs, while Scorpius hovered around him like an irritating fly that needed to be swatted away.

“Fine,” Scorpius said, turning to leave, “You’re welcome by the way,”

“Yeah, whatever,” Albus called after him with a sigh as he continued to hobble down the stairs towards the infirmary. He made it there eventually, and was beyond relieved when the kindly nurse asked no questions and healed his wounds with only a few muttered words under her breath. Albus had no idea that Scorpius had followed him all the way to the hospital wing, lingering a few feet behind him, just to make sure he didn’t die or anything stupid like that.

Albus returned to the Slytherin common room some time after midnight, his wounds intact but his pride and dignity severely damaged. Luckily his friends had no questions except to wonder why he was so late, to which he could only respond that he had gotten lost wandering the halls of the castle, which was easily accepted as Albus was not known for his sense of direction.

He decided not to tell anybody about the incident, not even his parents or James or Rose. He was embarrassed enough that it had been Scorpius who had found him, and prayed he didn’t go telling Rose himself or anything like that. She would only worry too much, or confront the bullies, which would only make everything worse.

The next day on the train, as Albus and his friends were searching for a compartment, they passed the group of Gryffindors. Albus winced, but they paid him absolutely no mind at all. Luckily, the group soon found a compartment and Albus spent the rest of the journey trying to forget what had happened while playing exploding snap with Stella and Marcus and eagerly discussing their plans for the summer.

When he saw his parents at the platform, he gave them each a massive hug, ignoring the stares and giggles he still received for his hair. It felt so good to see them again after almost a year.

“What the hell have you done to your hair, young man?” His mother demanded, pulling his face close so she could inspect it.

“He got jinxed!” Lily said, giggling, “But he decided to keep it that way.”

“I quite like it,” Harry said, winking at Albus.

“Yes, well, you’re attracting rather a lot of attention,” Ginny said, sighing, as she took Lily’s suitcase off her and the family headed back to Grimmauld Place, which this summer was where they would be spending most of their time, as Harry was swamped with work.

Albus waved goodbye to his friends, promising to invite them over sometime, and hurried after his family, already wondering what the next school year would have in store for him.


	9. Fourth Year - Part One

Having been woken up exceptionally early by Lily on the first of September, Albus stumbled downstairs, made himself a mug of coffee, and slurped it in silence as Lily flitted around him in excitement, asking questions about Second Year that he was much too tired to answer. An hour or so later, when Albus had woken up a little and could answer some of Lily’s questions, James and his parents came downstairs, and the usual chaos of the first day back at Hogwarts ensued.

Albus had had a pretty decent summer. He had met up with his friends in London a couple of times, and he had gotten to spend some time with his cousins. James had done excellently in his OWLs, much to everyone’s surprise, and was now a Prefect, which he never failed to brag about. After several weeks of complaining, Ginny had dragged Albus to the hairdressers’ and made them cut all of the green out of the hair. It was much shorter than he had ever had it before, and he couldn’t wait for it to grow back out as he preferred the casually scruffy look.

Once at the station, the Potters met up with Hermione and Ron. Unfortunately, it seemed that the Wizarding World had not quite adjusted to seeing the Minister for Magic and the saviour of the Wizarding World in the same place. Most parents and students who walked past did a double take and nearly crashed into the people in front of them, much to Albus’ embarrassment. He gave Rose a big hug as she commented on his short hair and ruffled Hugo’s hair, though his younger cousin retaliated by punching him hard on the arm.

The train journey to Hogwarts, the Sorting Ceremony and the welcoming feast passed by predictably, but Albus felt a sense of relief at being back. When Albus and Marcus headed up to their dorm later that evening, stuffed and sleepy, they couldn’t help but notice that the other three boys in their dorm were nowhere to be seen. However, they thought nothing more of it and fell asleep quickly.

“Good morning,” Stella said brightly and cheerily the next morning as Albus and Marcus parked themselves onto the seats in front of her. Marcus replied just as cheerfully but Albus just grunted as he poured himself his typical mug of black coffee and sipped it in silence, forcing himself to wake up properly. Stella rolled her eyes at him and took another bite of toast.

“We have so many lessons with the Gryffindors this year, what the hell!” Rae complained as she surveyed their timetables, “Potions, Transfiguration, Herbology, and Charms.”

“Oh come on, surely it can’t be that bad,” Stella said, glancing at her own timetable which her dad had handed to her with a smile only moments before, “I mean, Rose, Astrid and Scorpius are in Gryffindor and we’re friends with them.”

“Yeah, but it means we’ll hardly ever get to see Jasper, Haruko or Kofi,” Marcus pointed out. Everyone nodded solemnly in agreement.

“We’ll just have to make time to spend with them.” Albus pointed out as he drained his coffee and felt a little more alert at long last, “I mean, there’s always weekends. We could start a study group or something; Merlin knows we’re going to get enough homework.”

Everyone agreed with that and headed off to their first lesson. Albus, Marcus and Rae had Care of Magical Creatures, which they were all a little nervous about as they had a new teacher. Hagrid was still the Groundskeeper, so Albus would still be able to see him, but he had decided once and for all that his teaching career was over. Luckily, Albus knew the new teacher, Professor Lovegood. Not only was she Professor Scamander’s wife, but Albus knew her quite well as she was friends with her parents. Her twin sons would be starting at Hogwarts the next year.

Though she seemed quite dreamlike and distractible, when it came to teaching she was completely focused. That lesson, they were beginning to learn about unicorns, so she led the class deep into the Forbidden Forest where they observed a small herd of unicorns. It was one of Albus’ favourite ever lessons.

Next, Albus had Potions with Professor Scamander and the Gryffindors. This year, the seating plan put Albus next to Rose, which was fantastic as the two of them could work very well together and were some of the best students in the year, even if Rose could get a little competitive at times.

That afternoon in Arithmancy, Albus found that Professor Vector had changed absolutely nothing at all, as if summer had passed by in the blink of an eye. This meant he was still next to Scorpius, who he had so far managed to avoid since that evening right before summer. He inadvertently found himself blushing bright red as he took the seat next to him.

“Hi.” Albus said anyway, in an attempt to be polite, “How was your summer?”

Scorpius turned to him, raising an eyebrow, before quickly turning his attention back to the front where Professor Vector was beginning her lecture. Albus grabbed his things from his bag and hurriedly set to scribbling down her notes, his quill scratching noisily on the paper. Near the end of the lesson, Professor Vector set them all an individual task, and Albus had a question he wanted to ask Scorpius.

“Malfoy,” He started awkwardly, “is that, uh, is that a pen?” He asked as Scorpius made notes and diagrams from the book far more quickly than Albus could possibly manage with his old quill and inkpot. His dad may have been brought up as a Muggle, but Albus had grown up surrounded by magic and was still quite ignorant of the Muggle world, though Muggle Studies was slowly helping to improve that.

“Clearly, Potter,” Scorpius bit back, continuing his note-taking as if nothing had happened, “What are you, some kind of idiot?”

“No, I’ve just never used one before, and it looks much quicker,” Albus defended, glancing back to check that Professor Vector was still at the opposite end of the classroom.

“Fine, if I let you borrow one will you shut up?” Scorpius dug around in his bag and pulled out another pen, which he pushed across the desk to Albus.

“Cheers,” Albus whispered, picking the pen up and peering at it suspiciously before trying to write with it. Nothing happened. He tried a few more times but still nothing happened.

“You have to push the nib up,” Scorpius said with an exasperated sigh. He grabbed the pen from Albus’ hands and demonstrated how it was done before pushing the pen back into Albus’ hands just as Professor Vector allowed them to leave. Scorpius immediately got to his feet and scooped all of his belongings into his bag before storming out of the lesson with Rose close behind. Albus sat there awkwardly, still holding onto the pen, until Marcus nudged him and he got up to leave.

Ever since that argument between them months before, Albus had been meaning to apologise profusely for what he’d done, but the timing had never quite seemed right. They were always either in lessons, at opposite ends of the hall, or Albus was lying petrified and jinxed on the floor and had had other things on his mind.

Rather unfortunately, the opportunity to make up with Scorpius Malfoy came a lot sooner than expected. It was the beginning of October, and Albus was taking one of his usual night time strolls around the castle when he walked past a usually empty classroom and heard hushed whispers coming from inside, similar to those he had heard all the way back in First Year.

“– going to be big,” A gruff, masculine voice said. Startled, Albus stopped in his tracks and stepped up to the door, not quite pressing his ear against it.

“Those mudbloods won’t know what’s hit them,” Another voice sneered.

“Wait, something’s just set the wards off,” A distinctly feminine voice said, “Goyle, go check it out.”

Albus took a step back in shock as the door was flung wide open and Vincent Goyle stepped out, all six feet or so of him. He kept walking backwards until his back hit the wall with a thud, taking the breath out of him.

“Doing a little late night eavesdropping, were we?” Goyle laughed, casually pulling his wand from his pocket, “We were just talking about your filthy little mudblood friend, dirtying up our house.”

“Shut up, Goyle, he doesn’t need to know about that!” The owner of the feminine voice said, stepping through the door. Albus recognised her as Sana Cooke, a fellow Slytherin in his year; though not one he had ever talked to. Before he could profess his innocence, she pointed her wand in his direction and shouted a curse, and everything went black.

He wasn’t sure how long he had been unconscious, but he regained consciousness quite groggily and surprisingly uninjured. He sat up in what felt like a comfortable armchair, and blinked in shock as he realised he was in some kind of cosy living room, like the kind that could be found in any old cottage across the country. Perhaps most shocking of all was Scorpius Malfoy, sitting on an armchair opposite him and twiddling his thumbs as if with worry.

“Malfoy, am I dead?” Albus asked, still in disbelief at what he was still feeling and still feeling more than a little dazed and confused from the spell, “Oh Merlin, did those blithering idiots manage to kill me? Why are you here if I’m dead?”

“Shut up, Potter.” Scorpius said, clenching his fists in irritation, “You’re definitely not dead.”

“Then where the Cornelius Fudge are we?” Albus demanded, rubbing his eyes in a desperate attempt to feel a little more awake. It didn’t work. He tried to get to his feet but the head rush he felt was so overwhelming he had to sit right back down, his head spinning as black dots ambled across his vision.

“Well, I was just returning to my dorm after sending a letter to my parents,” Scorpius began, getting to his feet and pacing nervously up and down the length of the small room. Albus was quite surprised to hear Scorpius talking to him as an equal rather than a speck of dust on his shoe. Then again, Albus hadn’t managed to insult him or throw anything at him just yet.

“Anyway, I turned the corner and you were just lying there on the floor like an idiot, again,” Scorpius continued, “and all these big ugly Slytherins – no offence – were stood all around you panicking, so I hid behind the stairwell until they all left you just lying there like a useless lump; no different than usual, really, but I’m a decent person so I thought I’d better help you, so there I was pacing up and down the corridor like ‘oh God what the hell do I do now’ and then this door appeared so I just panicked and dragged you through it, which I’m very glad no one witnessed, and you’ve been sitting there unconscious for the past half an hour.”

“That’s about the least plausible story I’ve ever heard, but whatever.” Albus said, yawning suddenly. He tried getting to his feet again, and when he didn’t collapse instantly he walked around the small room cautiously, inspecting every inch of it.

After a few moments, Albus realised he actually quite needed the loo. Glancing up, he did a double take at the door that had suddenly appeared on one wall of the room. He opened the door cautiously, with Scorpius on his heel, and was pleasantly surprised to find a nice looking bathroom inside, with a shower and a sink.

“Do you think this could be the Room of Requirement?” Albus wondered aloud a few moments later as he settled back into the armchair, “My dad said it got burnt down in the Battle of Hogwarts but it seems like it’s still standing.”

“I guess it must be,” Scorpius said as a bookshelf appeared in front of him and he plucked a book from it, grinning. An awkward silence followed, for Albus at least, as Scorpius read his book. Albus took a deep breath and decided that now was as good a time as any to apologise.

“Hey, Malfoy, uh –” Albus began, stumbling over his words. Scorpius glanced up from his book but said nothing, “I just want to apologise, for, well, everything really. I’ve been a total prat and I shouldn’t have said the things I said and I really hate the idea of anyone hating me so yeah, I’m really, truly sorry.”

“Okay.” Scorpius said, returning to his book without another word. When he noticed Albus glaring at him he sighed and put his book down, “Fine, apology accepted. I still think you’re a prat but I don’t hate you – that’s a pretty strong word. But remember who’s saved your life twice so far. You owe me one.”

“You didn’t save my life!” Albus defended, “I would have worked something out,”

“Yeah, sure.” Scorpius said, snorting with laughter, “Now that I would have liked to see.”

“Look, I’m kind of getting sick of being your enemy so... Can’t we please just try to be friends?” Albus pleaded, looking Scorpius right in the eyes. They were a completely unique shade of grey, like a summer storm. Albus glanced away after a few seconds, coughing awkwardly.

“Fine,” Scorpius said, staring at his hands folded in his lap, “I won’t make any presumptions because you’re a Potter, and you won’t make any assumptions because I’m a Malfoy, got it? No more calling my dad a Death Eater or anything, because that’s not cool.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” Albus said, blushing at the memory, “Looking back, I can’t even believe I said all that. I guess I had my own prejudices about you that were completely unfounded. And I mean, if Rose can forget all the bull that Uncle Ron has said about you over the years, then surely I can too.”

“Cool.” Scorpius said, sounding completely sincere, “Anyway, it’s past midnight and I can’t be bothered to walk back to the dorm, so goodnight.” He paused for a moment as another door appeared in the wall, then walked through it and slammed the door shut. Albus considered making up his own bedroom, but before he could think any further he had fallen fast asleep in the armchair.

The next morning, which was thankfully a Saturday, Albus and Scorpius headed down to the Great Hall together after the disappointing discovery that the Room of Requirement couldn’t produce any food, or even any coffee. The two didn’t speak the whole way there, and parted ways the second they stepped into the hall.

“Albus, where the hell were you last night?” Marcus said angrily as Albus approached his friends, “I was left alone with Goyle and his mates last night and they gave me a black eye! Why weren’t you there?”

“Oh Merlin, Marcus, I’m so sorry.” Albus said, giving his friend a brief hug and wincing at his bruised, purple eyelid, “But they’d gotten to me first. If it wasn’t for Scorpius Malfoy I’d probably still be lying in a random corridor somewhere, passed out.”

“Wait, really?” Marcus said, the anger quickly dissipating from his face, “What a bunch of pricks. Come on, Stella’s made like six cups of coffee in the hope that you’d smell it and reappear.”

“Well, it worked.” Albus grinned, taking one of the mugs and quickly using a spell to heat it back up, “Cheers, Stella.”

“Yeah, you’re welcome.” She said offhandedly, though she looked visibly quite relieved that Albus was alright, “But you have to explain this whole thing, and why Scorpius helped you, since I wasn’t sure you two even got along, and also why you both just appeared in the hall together, because honestly, I have so many questions.”

Albus quickly detailed what had happened, glossing over the whole eavesdropping thing and only briefly mentioning the part where he and Scorpius sort of became friends, as he knew Stella would want more answers. His two friends were clearly having trouble keeping their mouths shut as Albus described the Room of Requirement to them.

“Oh my God, we have to go there sometime!” Marcus enthused as Albus finished his story.

“Sure, if I can, uh, remember where it is.” Albus said through a mouthful of toast. Truth be told, he liked the fact that only he and Scorpius knew where the Room of Requirement. He loved that he had somewhere to go where only one other person in the entire world could ever bother him, where he was free to be himself without having to be a Potter or a Slytherin.

Thankfully, the rest of the term passed by without incident. Lily made it onto the Hufflepuff Quidditch team as one of their Chasers, although Gryffindor beat them in their first match, which caused a lot of tension between his two siblings. However, the Slytherin team later managed to beat the Gryffindor team, giving Hufflepuff another chance at the House Cup.

Albus was finding it rather difficult to deal with his two best friends. Marcus was still hopelessly in love with Rose, which kept the pair of them up talking frequently despite the fact that Albus found the topic extremely uncomfortable and the fact that Rose barely seemed to realise Marcus existed. And then there was Stella, who had recently decided that she was madly in love with Marcus, and it was all quite complicated.

Albus was pretty happy to be single and not have a crush on anyone, though he still received a few offers for dates. He turned them all down grudgingly, as they were all from girls who were only interested in him because he was the son of Harry Potter, not because they actually liked him as an individual.

He also found that he and Scorpius, while not exactly friends, were certainly no longer enemies. For their latest Arithmancy project, they had managed to work together and had both received their best grades ever. Arithmancy was still the only time they ever talked, however, and strangely, Albus found that he was always quite looking forward to it. Scorpius had a sarcastic and easy sense of humour that was quite similar to Albus’, so while they spent their Arithmancy lessons mildly insulting each other, they both knew it wasn’t serious.

Albus was also keeping well out of the way of anyone who could potentially beat him up or curse him. To avoid Goyle and his cronies, as well as James’ old friends, Albus and the other Slytherins spent most of their time in the Ravenclaw common room with Haruko and Kofi. At first they had received numerous glares from the other Ravenclaws, but once they realised the group were quiet and mostly just did their homework, they paid them no mind.

He also spent a lot of his time in the Room of Requirement, though not as much that his friends would become suspicious. Thankfully, he hadn’t yet encountered Scorpius there, and found it wonderful to have a space all to himself. Albus had quickly discovered that the room had none of the restrictions of the rest of the castle, and that he could use electricity and other electrical devices.

From then on, the little cottage room that Albus couldn’t bear to change too much came complete with a Muggle television set, which Albus was slowly getting the hang of. He really enjoyed watching Muggle television shows, especially the ones about fantasy or magic, as they often came nowhere near the truth.

In no time at all Albus found himself back home. Christmas, which came a few days after his birthday, was bursting with the usual jollities of too much food, too much alcohol in the case of the adults, and the joys of seeing family.

It came as quite a surprise when Teddy turned up at the Weasley household right before Christmas dinner, his arms laden with presents and a wry grin on his face. Luckily no one minded seeing him and shuffling up to make room for him at the table.

“So, Teddy, what have you been up to?” Harry asked politely from next to him. Everyone turned to look at him as surreptitiously as they could, as no one was quite sure what Teddy did. Albus couldn’t help but notice Victoire at the other end of the table, trying her best to ignore him and focus on her dinner instead.

“Oh, not much.” Teddy said through a mouthful of turkey, “Me and the band have been on tour for the past few weeks - in fact I just flooed here from Sheffield,”

“The band?” Harry spluttered, glaring obviously at his godson.

“Oh yeah, I’m in a band now.” Teddy said sheepishly, before adding with a wink in Albus’ direction, “We were on tour, did I not tell you?”

Christmas dinner was going reasonably after that, until Ginny decided it would be a good idea to ask Rose how Scorpius was doing despite the fact she was sitting next to Ron. The ensuing argument left Rose running out into the garden and Albus hurrying after her, shivering from the cold.

“It’s ridiculous.” Rose stuttered, rubbing her eyes viciously with a handkerchief as she paced up and down the garden path, “You would think by now he’d have gotten over it, but he has this stupid idea in his head that Scorpius has a crush on me and we’re going to start dating.”

“I’m sure he’ll get over it eventually.” Albus said in an attempt to comfort her, but she just sobbed even harder, “I mean, you know what he’s like, but I’m sure that when it’s most important, he’ll listen to you, you’ve just got to hang on ‘till then.”

“Thank you,” Rose said, sniffling.

“So, do you think you and Scorpius will start dating?” Albus said, chuckling at the thought but also slightly disturbed.

“What? No!” Rose squealed, punching her cousin in the arm, which Albus reckoned he deserved, “I just don’t see him in that way. And besides, you should really hang out with Scorpius sometime. He’s really not that bad. Plus, he told me about the times he ‘saved’ your life, but don’t worry, I didn’t tell anyone else, not even Astrid.”

“He did?” Albus demanded, feeling faintly sick, “And hey, we do hang out, uh… in Arithmancy, if that counts.” He laughed as Rose’s glare told him that it very much didn’t.

“Come on, Albie, for me.” Rose said, using his childhood nickname which she knew he absolutely detested. After he had punched her back, they headed back downstairs and Christmas Day continued as it normally did, though Rose kept her distance from her dad and hung out in one of the many bedrooms with Albus, Lily and Teddy.


	10. Fourth Year - Part Two

When Albus returned to Hogwarts in early January after a particularly dull train ride, he was pleasantly to find the grounds blanketed in a thick layer of snow, as it had been unseasonably warm that December. The next few weeks were then inevitably spent having snowball fights and building igloos, when not in lessons or completing the veritable mountains of homework they were given, until at last the snow turned to ice and melted as spring began.

The teachers were giving far more homework than Albus had ever received in his life, to prepare the Fourth Years for their O.W.Ls next year, and Albus found he was already dreading what the workload would be like. Luckily he was doing well in all of his lessons, especially now he had Rose to work with in Potions, and Marcus to help him with Transfiguration from time to time.

In Care of Magical Creatures, the class moved on from unicorns to hippogriffs, and Albus laughed just as raucously as everyone else when Scorpius recounted the tale of his father’s encounter with a hippogriff to him, Marcus and Astrid. In fact, Rose, Scorpius, and Astrid were slowly but surely becoming a part of their large group of friends. The fact that their group had people from all four houses in made Albus smile, as inter-house friendships were what his father and Professor McGonagall had strived for at Hogwarts after the war.

However, the group of Gryffindors that James had once been part of had begun to notice that Albus and Scorpius were slowly but surely becoming friends, despite the fact that the two of them weren’t even on a first-name basis yet. The group remarked it casually whenever Albus passed them in the corridor, and sometime around the middle of March, thanks to them, he managed to pay back some of the debt he owed Scorpius.

He was just on his way to the Room of Requirement to catch up on some of his favourite TV shows, since he’d at last managed to finish all of his homework for the weekend, when he spotted the group of Gryffindors up ahead. When he saw the shock of blonde hair that was unmistakably Scorpius’, he approached cautiously, hiding around a corner so he wouldn’t be seen but could still eavesdrop.

“They’re really not that bad.” Scorpius was saying, his voice slightly raised, “Now, if you could just let me get past, I have somewhere to be.”

“Now, we couldn’t possibly let you do that,” A feminine voice cackled. All of a sudden there was a low thumping sound as the rest of the group burst into laughter.

“What the hell?” Scorpius yelled. Albus risked a glance around the corner, where he could see Scorpius sprawled on the floor and trying to clamber to his feet. He considered intervening, but he didn’t fancy getting beaten up again. If they tried anything else, he decided, he would have to intervene, but only so that Scorpius didn’t have to suffer the same embarrassing fate he had.

“We’ll let you go when you promise to stop hanging out with those snakes from Slytherin.” Matt declared as Scorpius stood up straight, “After all, they don’t really serve a purpose in the school. All they’ve done is cause evil and wrongdoing to spread through the school. But then again, your father is Draco Malfoy, so we wouldn’t expect anything less really. What a filthy coward.”

“How dare you,” Scorpius said, raising his wand despite the obvious shaking of his hand. Before he could do anything, one of the Gryffindors had managed to jinx him. He began reciting Shakespearean sonnets very loudly. The rest of the group clapped and high-fived as Scorpius struggled to get a jinx out between verses.

Before Albus could think about the consequences, he called out the counter-jinx so Scorpius could fend for himself and ran forwards, angrily hexing and jinxing without a thought to who was at the receiving end, just as long as it wasn’t Scorpius. Chaos ensued as the Gryffindors tried to fight back, but the two boys had already hit them all, and so without another thought Albus grabbed hold of Scorpius’ hand and pulled him along the corridor at full speed, glancing back at intervals to ensure no one else was following.

They kept running hand in hand until they reached the Room of Requirement. Albus dropped Scorpius’ hand absently and paced back and forth in front of the blank wall, all too aware of the shouts in the distance. At last a door appeared in the stone wall, and Albus shoved Scorpius through, fervently praying that the door would disappear before the bullies saw it and tried to pry their way inside.

Albus was surprised to find the room exactly as it had been the time Scorpius had dragged him inside unconscious. Glancing at Scorpius, it was obvious that he realised that too, if his wide eyes were anything to go by. He simply stood in the middle of the room, dumbfounded, as Albus took a seat in his usual armchair.

“Are you alright?” He asked Scorpius. The other boy jumped as if startled.

“What? Yeah, I’m fine.” He replied, as if it was the clearest and most obvious fact in the world, which to Albus it clearly wasn’t. He sighed deeply and took the other seat.

“Sure.” Albus replied, shrugging and relaxing back into the armchair, pulling his legs up with him and wrapping his arms around them the way he usually did.

“The thing is…” Scorpius began hesitantly, “There’s been a lot of talk in Gryffindor recently, about getting rid of Slytherin, and saying that it’s as bad as all the evil witches and wizards it’s produced. As if every Gryffindor was a saint! It started off as just that group, but now it’s sort of spreading and well… Quite honestly, I’m scared that it’s going to get out of hand.”

Albus stared at the other boy in shock. Scorpius pulled his legs up to mirror Albus, though he put his chin on his knees as if the weight of holding his head up was just too much to bear. Albus considered what he said. James hadn’t mentioned anything of the sort at Christmas, but he refused to believe his brother or any of his cousins had any part of it.

“If that’s the case...” Albus began, biting his lip, “Then I guess you should know that there’s been talk in Slytherin. Not by me, of course, or any of our friends, but a few people are still held back by that idiotic, age old idea that the only people who deserve to go to Hogwarts are Purebloods, and that everyone else is somehow lesser. Which is, of course, a load of bull.”

“What are we going to do about all this?” Scorpius wondered as Albus finished recounting what he had heard while eavesdropping, as well as his housemates’ attempts to bully Marcus.

“What can we do? We could go to a teacher, but I don’t know if they would listen. None of them seem to believe there’s any animosity between the houses, not after all the attempts to create unity.” Albus sighed, rubbing his temples.

“As we’re proving quite well, Potter.” Scorpius said with a smirk. Albus glared at him. After all that had happened recently and today, and he had the time for jokes? He truly was insufferable, and Albus had no problems letting him know.

“Oh, don’t worry, I’m perfectly aware.” He grinned a dazzling smile that was clearly meant to annoy Albus as much as possible.

“I notice you still haven’t thanked me.” Albus said, getting to his feet and stretching with a yawn.

“I’ll thank you when you save my skin again. It’s only fair.” Scorpius responded, leaning back in his chair in the most casual way possible.

“You know, sarcasm is the lowest form of wit.” Albus quipped as he flopped back into his chair.

“Well, I do try to cater to my audience.” Scorpius grinned, not even bothering to duck the cushion that Albus immediately lobbed at his head with a satisfying thud.

“You’re such a prat, Malfoy.” Albus declared, “No wonder we hated each other for four years!”

“Who says we don’t still?” Scorpius asked, laughing at Albus’ dumbfounded expression, “Anyway, I’m presuming the coast is clear now, so… see you around sometime.”

Without another word, Scorpius was out of the room and slamming the door shut behind him, leaving a dumbstruck Albus alone with his thoughts. Had he just had an actual conversation with Scorpius Malfoy?

* * *

 

After a few blissfully quiet months in which nothing much really happened, Albus began to think that maybe all of the commotion earlier in the year was something he had imagined. Scorpius acted just as he had before Albus had rescued him from those jinxes, and while they still worked together in Arithmancy, they rarely talked outside of class, much to Rose’s annoyance. She was still determined that they become friends, but it just didn’t seem to be happening.

However, around the time that Slytherin won the Quidditch final for the second year in a row, everything began to change, though it would take Albus a long time to realise. The Slytherins were hosting a party in the common room, and when Stella offered him a beer she had found, he didn’t turn it down. It was the first time he had drunk anything alcoholic without his parents present.

“Great party, hey!” Stella enthused as Albus used his wand to remove the cap from his beer and took a very cautious sip, grimacing at the unusual but not too unpleasant taste.

“It’s awesome!” Albus said, soaking in the atmosphere, “And well done on the game, you’re so amazing!”

Stella blushed as she took a swig of her own drink, though it was difficult to tell in the dimly lit room. They spent most of the rest of the evening talking, as Marcus had invited the Gryffindors to the party and was to be found talking to Rose and Scorpius in a corner as Rose looked a little embarrassed at his attempts to flirt.

A little later into the evening, after Albus and Stella had downed several more beers, they were dancing casually and attempting to talk over the loudspeakers. Albus felt warm and happy and decided that maybe alcohol wasn’t so bad, since everyone around him seemed to be having a very pleasant time. The fact he was dancing was unusual in itself, but he didn’t mind at all, despite the glares Scorpius seemed to be giving him from time to time across the room, though that could have just been his drunken imagination.

He wasn’t sure in the slightest what possessed him to do it, but suddenly he found that he had his hands around Stella’s waist and was kissing her gently on the lips. When she didn’t immediately push him away in disgust, he kept kissing her, all too aware of the butterflies in his stomach and the oppressive heat on his cheeks, not to mention all of the eyes the scene would no doubt be drawing. Seconds later, Stella pulled away, her dark brown eyes wide and shining in the dim light.

“What the hell, Albus?” She demanded, shoving him backwards. Albus stumbled further than he felt he should have, his head spinning wildly.

“Stella, I’m sorry, I don’t even know what – ” Albus began, but she had already turned and vanished into the heavy crowd of people mingling and dancing. He felt more foolish than he had ever felt in his entire life. He didn’t even like Stella that way, not to mention that she was pretty much in love with Marcus!

“Smooth move.” Scorpius sneered from right in front of them. Albus had no idea how he had gotten there so quickly, but he stood there awkwardly with a bottle of Muggle cider in his hand as if he just realised he’d made a mistake.

“Where are Rose and Marcus?” Albus asked, peering around but seeing no sign of them.

“I dunno, I think maybe Marcus finally got through to her. Quite amusing, really, but I left them to their own devices. It’s much more fun to come and bother you.” Scorpius shrugged, chugging the rest of his cider before promptly making it vanish.

“Wow, I’m honoured, Malfoy.” Albus responded sarcastically, “I didn’t think you could possibly deign to speak to me in public.”

“You’re not that bad, I guess.” Scorpius said, giggling suddenly. Albus raised an eyebrow at him, “What? Alcohol makes people more honest, so here I am, telling you, Potter, that you’re not as bad as I thought.”

“Right...” Albus responded, raising his drink to his lips despite the almost overwhelming sense of warmth and dizziness in his head, “Here I was thinking we were the best of friends. I guess I’ll have to put up with ‘not as bad as I thought’.”

“You know, I don’t even get why we aren’t friends. I mean, so what our parents were enemies? What the hell does that matter now? So what if we had a few disagreements? I can forget the potion you spilled on me and that snowball. I’m still not entirely convinced it wasn’t on purpose, but whatever. Forgive and forget, live and let live, carpe diem, whatever!” Scorpius gesticulated wildly as he spoke, causing Albus to break down laughing.

“Spoken like a true poet.” Albus said between bouts of laughter, “But I agree. From now on I, Albus Severus Potter, promise to be friends with you… Malfoy.”

“Your middle name is Severus?” Scorpius snorted, throwing back his head and laughing as if it were the most hilarious thing he had ever heard, “But anyway, I, Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, promise to be friends with you… Albus.”

“Dude, how can you possibly mock my middle name when yours is Hyperion? That’s the stupidest name I’ve ever heard in my life.” Albus almost cackled as he grabbed Scorpius’ shoulder for support, “Does this mean we’re on a first name basis now?”

“Sure, but only if you promise not to mock my middle name again, or vice versa.” Scorpius held out his hand, but Albus, feeling warm and drunk and happy, slapped Scorpius’ hand away and wrapped him up in a big hug before reaching up to peck him lightly on the cheek. He had no idea why he’d done it, it just felt like the best thing to do.

“What the hell!” Scorpius said, cringing as Albus pulled away, “I think it’s pretty obvious what kind of drunk you are… The overly affectionate kind. How disgusting.”

“At least I’m not a sarcastic arsehole,” Albus muttered as he steadied himself, “But then again, you’re a sarcastic arsehole all the time so why am I surprised, really?”

From then on, the evening was a blur, though Albus had made the probably wise decision not to drink anymore. Once he had sobered up, he found Stella with Haruko and Kofi and apologised profusely, which she thankfully accepted. He found himself comforting Marcus after Rose had turned him down as kindly as she could and left with Scorpius and Astrid, and once he had sent his friend off to bed to cry away his sorrow, he chatted to the two Ravenclaws until they had to head back to the Ravenclaw tower.

All in all, it was a messy but enjoyable evening, although Albus didn’t think he would be drinking again anytime soon. As if trying to get off with Stella wasn’t embarrassing enough, all of his friends had apparently seen him kiss Scorpius on the cheek, and he had the feeling they would be teasing him about it for a long time to come.

Once the Quidditch season was over, along with the strenuous end of year exams, the Fourth Years were glad to be able to just relax, especially Stella, who had become rather frazzled from the almost lethal combination of Quidditch and revision. When not in lessons, days were spent lounging around the castle grounds and soaking up the sunshine and wasting time in the most brilliant of ways, to the extent that for the first time ever Albus almost dreaded returning home.

When he was younger, Albus’ parents had often said that your school years were meant to be the best years of your life, and for the time being he could well believe it. Most people at Hogwarts seemed to have finally gotten over the fact that he was Harry Potter’s son; in fact, he was just so ordinary that even being in Slytherin didn’t seem to resonate with anyone anymore.

Not to mention he had the most amazing and supportive group of friends in the world. He and Stella had made up in no time at all and there was no animosity between the two, as they both found the situation completely hilarious. Marcus had at last accepted that Rose was never going to like him back, however with the knowledge that Stella liked him, Albus always felt slightly like he was third-wheeling in his little group of friends.

The strangest part of it all was that he and Scorpius had somehow become good friends. They regularly talked in Arithmancy, much to Rose’s delight. He wasn’t just doing it for her though; he genuinely did like the guy, even if he could be a bit of a sarcastic prat at times.

Sometimes when the group were outside, relaxing in their usual spot by the Forest, Albus would find himself abandoning Marcus and Stella to spend hours talking to Scorpius, even if the conversation was mostly made up of their usual sly digs at each other. He was just so easy to talk to, and Albus felt as if he could forget all of his problems when Scorpius was around.

Scorpius seemed like such a friendly and easygoing guy that it came as an absolute shock to Albus when, a few days before the end of term, he strolled casually into one of the school’s many boys’ toilets to find Scorpius hunched over the sink, his body shaking as if racked by sobs. He had a tissue in his hand and was scrubbing furiously at his eyes, which was how he hadn’t noticed Albus, who froze in the doorway, completely unsure of what to do.

Just as he was about to turn to leave as quietly as he could, Scorpius glanced up and saw his reflection in the mirror. He jumped and spun to face Scorpius, his red-rimmed eyes wide with shock as he dropped his tissue onto the floor and began fumbling awkwardly with his sleeves instead.

“Sorry, I was just about to leave, I –” Albus stuttered as the door closed behind him. He had always been terrible at comforting his friends, and if anything he just seemed to make them cry more. He just never knew what to do or say, and while he certainly didn’t want Scorpius to be upset, he desperately wished he was anywhere else in the castle at that moment.

“No, yeah, go ahead.” Scorpius said in between sniffles. Thankfully it seemed that his crying was subsiding, though Albus wondered what could possibly have caused it in the first place, “Hardly anyone uses this bathroom anymore, so I just thought…”

“You know...” Albus groaned internally as the words left his mouth, “If you want to talk about it or anything, I’m – uh, I’m always here.”

“Thanks.” Scorpius said, smiling faintly, “I really appreciate that.”

“No problem.” Albus shrugged nonchalantly, “If you ever want to talk and you can’t find me and no one knows where I am, I’m usually in the Room of Requirement. I mean, I like the solitude, but I also don’t like the idea of my friends being sad. Anyway, I’m meeting Marcus and Stella now, if you want to join?”

“That would be lovely.” Scorpius stuttered, his cheeks flushing slightly, “Just, uh, give me a few moments, okay?”

After Scorpius had washed and dried his face and Albus had gone to the bathroom as per his original intention, they headed outside, meeting Stella and Marcus by the lake under a blazing hot sun. The afternoon was one of the best Albus had had in ages, especially when Rose and Astrid showed up later in the afternoon with sandwiches and cakes from the kitchens. They stayed outside as the sun set, laughing and joking absently. That was what made the day so fantastic; the complete absence of stress and the feeling of utter contentment as the sun set and the stars began to twinkle in the vast sky.

Albus lay on the grass, staring up at that unfathomable sky and pondering his place in the universe. It was utterly pretentious of him to do so, and he knew it, but he just loved thinking of how vast and impossible the universe was and how small and equally impossible he was. After a while of gazing listlessly into the night sky he sat back up and found that everyone had left, save for one other person.

“Welcome back to earth.” Scorpius chuckled, tugging unconsciously at the grass by his side a few feet away from Albus. With his hair all illuminated by the moonlight like that, Albus could kind of see why so many girls found Scorpius attractive, including Stella, which never failed to make him laugh, “Everyone else left, by the way. But I’m nice, so I stayed. What were you thinking about?”

“Well, the universe is just so fascinating, you know?” Albus blurted out as he lay back down and stared wondrously up at the stars, “Like, we don’t even know how big it is or what’s out there, yet here we are, able to think of and try to comprehend what we’re part of. I just find it really humbling."

“That’s the most pretentious load of crap I’ve ever heard.” Scorpius responded, but a few seconds later he flopped back down next to Albus and the two of them simply lay there in silence, watching the stars. If someone had told him a few months ago that he’d spend an evening stargazing with Scorpius Malfoy, he would have told them to piss off, but here he was.

Eventually the night began to get a little chilly; they were in Scotland, after all. The two of them headed inside, casually discussing their plans for the holidays, which were imminent, and directing their usual insults in each other’s direction, before they parted ways and Albus began to head down to the Slytherin common room, his head spinning at just how quickly his perceptions of Scorpius had changed.

“Hey...” Scorpius said suddenly. Albus stopped and turned to face him, eyebrows raised. Scorpius’ cheeks were red, but then he was so pale that it could have been for any number of reasons, “Thanks, for today. I know you probably didn’t want to find me there or help me or anything but I’m glad you did.”

“Uh, it’s no problem.” Albus said, running his hand absently through his hair, “I hate to see anyone upset so – yeah. Goodnight, Scorpius.”

“Goodnight, Albus.” Scorpius responded a few seconds later, just before Albus turned the corner. He couldn’t help but grin at Scorpius’ awkwardness, a grin that remained on his face until he reached the Slytherin common room and was instantly distracted by Marcus and Stella.

A few days later, the school year came to a close. Hufflepuff had won the House Cup, which Lily wasn’t afraid to flaunt any time she saw Albus in the corridor or during breakfast on the last morning. Albus didn’t mind, however; he just sipped his coffee in silence and let his sister and her Second Year friends gloat as his friends collapsed with laughter around him.

The train ride was as uneventful as ever as everyone came to terms with the idea of six weeks away from Hogwarts. In the rush for the train, Albus had managed to lose his friends but find a miraculously empty compartment all to himself. He was later joined by a group of Second Year girls from Ravenclaw who whispered and giggled obviously about him as he stared out of the window, watching the Scottish wilderness become the rolling hills of the English countryside.

A third of the way through the journey, just as Albus thought he was likely to go insane if he had to listen to any more of the Second Years’ gossiping, there was a knock at the door. He turned to see Marcus and Stella gesturing frantically at him to join them. Without a thought, he grabbed his trunk and rushed out of the room, following his friends down the corridor to the compartment where the entire group was squeezed in.

The rest of the journey was much better, even though he and Marcus were forced to sit on the floor. They played exploding snap and chatted aimlessly as everyone around them had their own conversations. Stella spent the entire journey deep in conversation with Rose as the pair of them laughed and giggled. Scorpius rolled his eyes at them from across the compartment where he sat with Astrid and Kofi as Albus and Marcus tried their best to eavesdrop, to no avail.

At long last the train pulled into London and everyone piled off to join their families. Albus gave his parents a brief hug and handed his bags over before saying a quick goodbye to his friends, promising to meet up with them over the summer. As the family headed out of the train station, Albus couldn’t help but wonder if Scorpius was included in that group.


	11. Fifth Year - Part One

Albus was awoken early on the first of September as usual, by Lily jumping up and down on his bed. He couldn’t quite understand how she was still so enthusiastic about going to Hogwarts. Even though the school had never lost its sense of magic and mystery, it hadn’t taken him long to adjust to it and accept Hogwarts as his second home. He was beyond glad to be returning, of course, he just also enjoyed a good lie-in.

The summer holidays had passed by far too quickly, as they always did. Albus had made sure to do all of his homework during the first week so he was free to do what he wanted for the remaining five weeks. The family had gone on their customary trip to France, which had primarily been spent by the sea, soaking up the sunshine and eating far too much food. Albus had even managed not to get into too many arguments with James.

When Albus and his family returned from France, he arranged for all of his friends to come round for the day. It was a fantastic day, even if Scorpius couldn’t come as he was on holiday with his family, and Haruko was in Japan.

It came as quite a surprise when he discovered that both Stella and Marcus had become Slytherin’s new prefects. It wasn’t something he had ever considered, but he was surprisingly grateful that he hadn’t been chosen, as he was quite content just to fade into the background and let his friends receive the attention and admiration they deserved for once.

“I can’t believe it,” Ginny said that morning at the breakfast table, as Albus slurped his coffee in silence, “This is the last time we’ll be seeing James off to Hogwarts. Merlin, you all grew up far too quickly.”

At that, all three siblings made gagging sounds. Ginny simply smiled at them, though Albus was sure he had seen the glint of a tear in the corner of her eyes. Harry came into the kitchen and smacked each of his children playfully round the head, telling them to start treating their mother with respect.

At the station, Albus’ parents both wrapped James up in a massive hug and wouldn’t let him go for several minutes as Albus and Lily laughed at his bright red cheeks and the stares they were receiving. Thankfully their parents couldn’t see the middle finger James raised at them before he was let go. Albus and Lily gave each of their parents a much briefer hug before rushing to get on the train for yet another year at Hogwarts.

“Albus, wait up!” Rose called, waving. He jogged over to her and said a quick hello to his aunt and uncle. He couldn’t help but notice that his Uncle Ron looked extremely awkward, right before he spotted Scorpius and Astrid standing behind Rose.

“Hey!” He said enthusiastically as he hugged his cousin and waved to his friends. Over the summer, Scorpius had quite obviously grown a couple of inches and was now taller than Albus, much to his annoyance, “Come on, we’d better go before your dad bursts a vein or something.”

Rose laughed at that as she joined her friends in getting on the train. Albus hadn’t spotted any of the others from their group, so he happily went to sit with the three Gryffindors. Albus was happy but totally unsurprised to discover that Rose and Scorpius were Gryffindor’s new prefects. Rose displayed her scarlet badge proudly, whereas Scorpius wore his so that it was mostly obscured by his collar. Like Albus, he didn’t like attracting attention, though it happened all too often.

Rose and Astrid seemed to have a lot to gossip about, so Albus and Scorpius were left sitting there awkwardly until one of them could think of something to say.  
“So, uh, how was your summer?” Albus inquired, just as Scorpius asked, “Did you get up to much over the summer?”

The pair laughed and spent the next few moments discussing what they had been up to over summer. Scorpius had been to Germany to visit his grandma, who had apparently moved there as soon after the war as she could, to escape Wizarding society for good. He spent almost all of his holidays there, and it was apparently one of his favourite places in the world.

“They have a Wizarding university over there you know, in Heidelberg. That’s where I want to go after Hogwarts, though I’m not really sure what I want to study yet. There are so many options. What about you?” Scorpius drummed his fingers on his knees with enthusiasm.

“Um, well… I don’t really have any,” Albus admitted, “To be honest, I’m not really sure what the options are.”

“You mean you don’t want to be an Auror?” Scorpius asked jokingly. Albus simply glared at him, “Sorry, sorry… So, looking forward to O.W.Ls?”

The remainder of the journey was spent discussing their expectations of the year ahead. Rose didn’t hesitate to join the conversation then, as unlike the rest of them, she was actually looking forward to her exams. Albus and Scorpius simply rolled their eyes as she admitted that she would actually enjoy getting even more homework. Astrid simply threw a chocolate frog at her head, which she then promptly ate, tossing aside the card with its eerily moving portrait of Harry Potter.

In due time they arrived at Hogwarts, and after the carriage ride up to school, Albus parted with his Gryffindor friends to go and join Marcus and Stella at the Slytherin table. They watched the Sorting Ceremony with a sense of nostalgia which was quickly forgotten as the food appeared.

Later that evening in the common room, close to midnight and just after Stella and the other girls had excused themselves to go to bed, Marcus turned to face Albus with a very serious expression.

“Albus, I need your help,” Marcus said, his eyes wide.

“Uh… What’s up?” Albus asked, though really all he could think about was how tired he was.

“I think…” Marcus took a deep breath, “I think I’m in love with Stella.”

“What?” Albus blurted as he let out an involuntarily laugh of shock, “Since when?”

“Since the summer; you were in France so we met up, just the two of us, and we had the most amazing day together. In fact, I don’t think I’m in love with her. I know I am.” Marcus sighed, staring wistfully off into the distance.

Albus took a few seconds to evaluate the situation. He loved his two best friends equally and if the two of them being together brought them happiness, then that would be fantastic. On the other hand, he hated the thought of always being the third wheel.

“Well… Does she like you? Or is this just going to be a repeat of the whole Rose fiasco?” Albus asked as Marcus blushed in embarrassment at the memory.

“That’s the thing, I just don’t know. There were times when I thought maybe she did but then she kept mentioning Jasper so I don’t know… I just wish I knew for certain so I don’t make a fool out of myself. Again.”

“Just let me know how it goes, okay?” Albus grinned, though he was bursting to tell Marcus that Stella really did feel the same about him and he should make his move now, but he kept his mouth shut as Stella had only told him in complete confidence.

After that Albus and Marcus went up to the dorm they shared with three people who lately refused to even look at them. Albus stayed up, staring out of the window into the unfathomable depths of the lake as he did most nights before he fell asleep at last, his dreams plagued by worries for the year ahead.

The shock of the first week back at school very quickly took its toll on Albus, and for a little while it became rare to see him without a steaming mug of coffee and bags under his eyes before class. Luckily he soon recovered, but he realised that his teachers hadn’t been joking when they said the workload increased exponentially in Fifth Year.

When he wasn’t in class, Albus was to be found either in the library or the common room desperately trying to keep up with the amount of work he was being given. Even Professor Lovegood, who was notoriously easygoing, was giving them a ten inch essay to complete each week, and that was nothing compared to his other subjects. For the most part they were subjects he enjoyed. Time sped by when he was completing a Potions assignment or Herbology essay, but when he was doing research for History of Magic or Defence, time seemed to slow down to a mere trickle, like a parched river in a drought.

Arithmancy was far more enjoyable than it had once been, now that Albus and Scorpius could work with each other. Each Saturday they met up in the library for a couple of hours to complete their work, and Albus soon found himself inexplicably anticipating their study session throughout the week. They got the work done, of course, but it was also a great opportunity to rant about life and family and girls, a topic which always ended in tears of laughter or even embarrassment.

It seemed strange, but as time went on, Albus began to consider Scorpius one of his best friends. They started hanging out more frequently. Sometimes Albus would join Scorpius, Rose, and Astrid at the Gryffindor table, despite the strange and sometimes hostile looks he elicited from others. He told Scorpius it was so Stella and Marcus could talk to each other more often, but if he was honest with himself, it was because he genuinely liked Scorpius and considered him a very good friend. He just hoped Scorpius felt the same way about him.

One evening in late October, Albus was in the Room of Requirements after Professor Zabini had made an offhand comment about Harry Potter during the lessons after his attempted jinx had misfired. Stella apologised on her father’s behalf, but Albus brushed her off as he had to be alone. He’d get over it, he knew, but he just wanted time and space to be alone with just his thoughts. Until, of course, Scorpius decided to use the Room of Requirement at the same time.

As he walked in, the room shifted slightly, as if to accommodate both of their wishes, and the effect was so disconcerting that it took Albus a few moments to realise that Scorpius had obviously been crying. Scorpius stared at Albus in shock and edged backwards as if turning to leave. Albus clambered to his feet awkwardly.

“No, don’t go...” He said, rather pathetically, “I’ve had a shitty afternoon as well so I don’t know, I just think you should stay. We don’t have to like, talk about it or anything, just… Company helps sometimes, you know?”

Scorpius nodded and pulled a tissue from his pocket before taking a seat with a sigh as the armchair turned swiftly into a sofa, which he didn’t hesitate to put his long legs up on. Albus rolled his eyes and sat back down in his plain old armchair, pulling his legs up with him. He was quite a lot shorter than Scorpius now, which for some reason never failed to make Rose laugh.

“So, do you, uh, wanna talk about it, or?” Albus asked, peering cautiously at him over his knees.

“Do you?” Scorpius inquired, sniffing.

“Maybe...” Albus shrugged, and let the words come out in a great flow, “I mean, it’s just ridiculous, you know? That people think they know me just because their parents knew my father or some other bullshit like that. Surprise surprise, I’m my own person! And yeah, ok, I’m not great at Quidditch and yeah, I kind of suck at Defence, and I’m also not the saviour of the bloody Wizarding World because I’m my own person! If people got to know me they’d realise I love Potions, I hate attention, and I bloody despise Quidditch! And if that doesn’t sound like Harry Potter then that’s because I’m not him! I’m me, and people need to just like it or leave it.”

“I always thought you were your own person.” Scorpius said quietly, “I mean, I didn’t know who Harry Potter even was until I got here and Rose explained everything to me… And trust me, I know what it’s like to be constantly compared to your father. To be told all sorts of things you didn’t even know yourself… No, don’t worry, I forgive you for all of that now.”

“Yeah, well, I feel the need to apologise one last time.” Albus said, “So… I’m sorry. It was so hypocritical of me.”

“Trust me, it’s all water under the bridge.” Scorpius said, waving the hand with the tissue in it absently. Albus stared at him blankly until he clarified it was a Muggle expression, “But, okay, I’ve never told anyone all this, not even Rose, but you’ve caught me crying too many times now and God damn it, I guess I like you, so if you want to know why, here’s why:

“So, I took it pretty hard, when you told me about my dad – no, like I said, it’s all forgiven. Because I later realised how much he’s turned his life around and made it the best he could just for me, so I would have somebody to look up to like he couldn’t look up to his own father. In that respect, I’m glad I found out, but it just seems like no matter how hard he tries, he’s never going to be able to escape the past, and no matter how hard I try, I’m never going to be able to live up to him. And I wish people understood, but I still have people from my own house calling me ‘Death Eater’ in the corridor or trying to jinx me and I’m just sick and tired of it.”

There was silence for a few seconds as Scorpius finished speaking, his voice cracking as if he were on the verge of tears yet again. Albus sincerely hoped he didn’t, not only because he didn’t deserve all the shit he got, but also because Albus rather suspected he would start crying too, which he tried to avoid at all costs.

“I… I never realised all that.” Albus finally managed, “Is that why you’re crying now?”

“Yeah, a load of Seventh Year idiots saw me walking past and started shouting horrible things and trying to jinx me. They missed but the words really cut deep.” Scorpius shook his head as if to clear his head, “I probably shouldn’t say, but… Your brother was one of them.”

“Merlin, he’s such a prat. Was he with that guy with the super bushy eyebrows and the really loud, blonde haired girl?” Albus clenched his fists as Scorpius nodded, “He told me he didn’t hang out with them anymore. I’m going to give him such a piece of my mind.”

“No, don’t, honestly.” Scorpius pleaded, his cheeks turning red to match his swollen eyes, “I don’t want to cause any more problems between you two.”

“It’s okay,” Albus admitted, “We never really got along all that well anyway. We’re simply too different.”

“Well, good.” Scorpius replied, managing a weak and watery smile. Albus grinned back, as he was glad to have found a friend who understood him and the sometimes tricky relationship he had with his brother. It was also nice to have a friend who understood what it was like constantly living under your parents’ shadow, though he wished it wasn’t the case.

“Do you watch any Muggle TV shows?” Albus asked a few moments later, once Scorpius had regained his composure. Scorpius listed a few, then leapt to his feet in surprise when Albus made a functional Muggle television appear.

The next few hours were spent flicking through the channels and watching whatever rubbish was on. Albus even rushed down to the kitchens to fetch some popcorn, and the remainder of the evening was spent on the sofa with Scorpius at his side, separated by only the gigantic bowl of popcorn in between them. It was one of the best evenings Albus had had for a while.

* * *

 

One thing that Albus couldn’t help but notice as the weeks went by was the increasing number of Slytherins, particularly those in the lower years, who were being jinxed. He had no way of knowing for sure who was behind it, but he had a sneaking suspicion that his brother was involved. The situation made him uneasy, as it was no doubt only a matter of time before the Slytherins began to retaliate and tensions between the two houses would come to blows.

His anger reached boiling point when, one day, he and Stella were walking to a lesson and someone nearby fired a jinx their way. Albus was fairly sure it was supposed to hit him, but it hit Stella instead, who fell to the floor writhing as hair began to sprout all over her body. He called Rae and Heather over to take her to the hospital as he sprinted after the culprit, wand at the ready.

“Come on, you cowards!” He shouted, his voice hitching slightly. He had no idea what the hell he was doing, since he had always been terrible at Defence against the Dark Arts and he certainly wasn’t going to improve in the next two seconds. It was too late, however, as the perpetrator had vanished. Albus was left alone in the corridor with his wand held out in front of him, ready to bubble over with anger.

Luckily the school nurse was able to fix Stella up in no time, though the incident had rocked their entire group. They stuck together as often as they could, making sure they weren’t all from the same house so that no one stood out as a clear target. Thankfully, no one tried to hex any of them after that, not least because of Stella’s angry rant at Rose at the Gryffindor table that evening, which no doubt was overheard by some of the perpetrators themselves.

It didn’t take long for the Slytherins to grow wise to the tricks of those who had hexed them, and soon, what had begun as a small problem escalated into a school wide problem for students in all seven years, which lasted well into winter when Shacklebolt had to intervene after a Ravenclaw student was hospitalised for several weeks.

The unfortunate Ravenclaw, one of Lily’s friends, had been caught in the crossfire of two jinxes cast by Seven Years. He had stood no chance. Albus hadn’t witnessed the event but Scorpius had. He told the story in great length that night at dinner when Albus decided to join his friend at the Gryffindor table, trying his best to ignore the angry glares he still received.

Scorpius had just finished recounting the tale to him and Astrid when Professor Shacklebolt’s voice rang loudly through the hall. The students collectively jumped, startled, as the room fell into complete silence.

“Today, as I’m sure you are all already aware, a Third Year student was hospitalised. Now, I am quite a tolerant man, but I will not tolerate bullying and jinxing in my own school. It has also come to my attention that this has been going on under mine and the other professors’ noses for quite some time now, and I hope you understand that henceforth, this madness will stop. No exceptions. If another student is caught hexing somebody, well… I’ll leave it up to you to decide whether or not you want to get punished. Goodnight.”

The hall erupted into hushed whispers. Albus couldn’t help but glance along the table to where James was sitting. His brother was deep in conversation with his friends, who were all looking shiftily around the hall, guilt painted across their features. Albus decided then and there that he absolutely needed to confront his brother, and the upcoming Christmas holidays would provide the perfect opportunity.

In fact, Albus confronted him almost the second they stepped through the door of their house at Grimmauld Place a few weeks later. Their parents had gone to make them all drinks, and Lily had gone to help, so it was just the two of them alone in the living room.

“James, we have to talk.” Albus said.

“What do you want, squirt?” James asked, flicking casually through the issue of Witch’s Weekly he had picked up from the sofa, raising his eyebrows at Albus.

“I know it was you hexing those Slytherins. Or your friends, I don’t know. I just want to know why,” Albus demanded, folding his arms and leaning against the wall in a pose that suggested he meant business. James flipped the magazine shut with a sigh and flung it back onto the sofa.

“Don’t try and talk about things you don’t understand, little Slytherin.” James said, getting to his feet, “All will be revealed in good time.”

He left the room without another word, ruffling Albus’ hair as he went, and that was the end of that. Albus spent most of the rest of holidays trying to puzzle out James’ cryptic message, but he just ended up more frustrated at him than ever. Even Rose told him to lighten up when they saw each other, the same Rose who spent most of the holidays trying to discuss her revision timetable with him!

Other than that, the Christmas holidays were as good as always. Albus ignored James and James ignored Albus back, and that was fine by both of them. He met up with Marcus and Stella separately, and spent the day being bombarded with questions as to whether he thought one liked the other. He was desperate to tell them that they were wildly in love with each other, but they had both forbidden even mentioning it, and so he was trapped in limbo between them.

Albus spent most of the holidays desperate to get back to Hogwarts, if only so he would be able to see his other friends and not have to deal with James’ stony silence all the time. Lily clearly sensed that something was up between them, but Albus didn’t really want to talk to her about it.

He also spent the majority of his holidays buried in work, and it came as almost a relief to get the Hogwarts Express back to school and have a few hours where he could just hang out with his friends and forget about work completely.


	12. Fifth Year - Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the last chapter that's sort of 'setting the scene' - from next chapter, things'll slow way down. i hope you're all still enjoying!!

After Albus and his friends had returned to Hogwarts, the workload only seemed to increase even more. When Albus wasn’t sleeping, he was working, and on the rare occasion he wasn’t, he was trying to sort out his friend’s relationship problems. Luckily there were the rare occasions when he and Scorpius both ended up in the Room of Requirement, a place in which they could talk aimlessly and procrastinate, as it was a dedicated no homework zone.

Relief came for everybody in the form of a party at the end of January, after Gryffindor had beaten Hufflepuff in the latest Quidditch game. Astrid had invited the whole group, as she was a Chaser on the team. It was the first time Albus had ever been to the Gryffindor common room, and he was sure it was lovely, but he couldn’t see it for all the drunken teenagers packed into the room.

After the embarrassment of the last time he’d been drunk, Albus decided to stick to a simple bottle of beer. He spent most of the evening dancing awkwardly with Stella and Marcus at the edge of the dance floor, laughing as his two best friends got more and more drunk and their dancing got worse and worse. He was rather tempted just to tell them that they liked each other, but he kept his mouth shut as he didn’t want to become a third wheel just yet.

“Have you seen Rose?” Stella asked a couple of hours into the evening. Albus shook his head; strangely enough, he hadn’t seen his cousin or her friends. He glanced around the room casually and was stopped short by the sight of Scorpius very obviously trying to make a move on his cousin from across the dance floor. He had her hands wrapped around her waist and their faces were close, even though she just looked awkward and harassed.

“Hang on, I’ll be right back.” Albus told his friends as he shoved his way through the crowd in blind anger. Stella tried to hold him back but collapsed in a fit of giggles and went straight back to dancing with Marcus.

“What do you think you’re doing?” He shouted as he pulled Scorpius away from Rose. They had clearly been kissing at some point, and for some reason the idea of that absolutely filled him with rage. Thinking that perhaps maybe he was drunker than he had thought, as his decision making skills and rationale seemed to be failing him, he swung his fist back and clocked Scorpius right in the face.

“Albus, no – ” Rose yelled, ducking down to pick her friend up from the floor, “I had everything in order, you didn’t need to do that!”

Scorpius got to his feet shakily with Rose’s help and turned to glare at Albus as a spectacular purple bruise was already beginning to form on his cheek. Albus winced and put his head into his hands. He felt like such a foolish idiot and wanted nothing more than to just disappear into the ground.

“I’m so sorry, Scorpius, I don’t know what came over me.” Albus apologised profusely, “I shouldn’t have just come over and punched you without, like, knowing all the facts. Obviously Rose can handle herself and you’re not as much of a git as I always thought you were and yeah, I don’t think I can apologise enough, but again, I’m so so sorry.”

“It’s cool,” Scorpius grinned, “I’ve always wanted to tell people I’ve been in a fist fight and now I can, so cheers.”

“You idiot.” Rose said, rolling her eyes and punching him in the arm, “I just want to know what came over Scorpius to make him think I would ever possibly enjoy that.”

“Alcohol.” Scorpius said without hesitation, earning him another half-hearted punch in the arm from Rose.

“Exactly why I tried not to drink too much this evening - not that it worked, clearly.” Albus tried his best to look sheepish as the two of them laughed at him mockingly.  
He spent the rest of the evening with the two of them, not least because he didn’t trust Scorpius to be alone with his cousin. He tried to peer through the crowd to look for Marcus and Stella, but they were nowhere to be found. He hoped that maybe they were confessing their love to each other somewhere, but they were both so awkward that he doubted that would ever happen.

He found out the next morning, after a pleasant morning lying in, that they had not in fact confessed their love for each other. Instead, Stella had vomited on Marcus’ shoes and Marcus had spent the rest of the night comforting her.

That afternoon, still feeling a little sleepy and hungover, Albus met Scorpius in the school’s vast library to complete one of their many Arithmancy assignments. Like Albus, Scorpius looked a little worse for wear. He had bags under his eyes that showed up starkly against his pale skin, not to mention the massive blue bruise on his cheek, which Albus apologised profusely for the second he saw him already at work in their usual secluded corner of the library, near the window overlooking the Lake.

“Really, it’s fine.” Scorpius laughed, “I had Shacklebolt come up to me and ask me where I got it so I told him it was a badge of honour,”

“As if.” Albus snorted, “If anything, it’s a badge of my honour for defending my cousin from your drunken self.”

“Yeah, whatever.” Scorpius said nonchalantly, “Anyway, I told him it had nothing to do with recent events and he left me alone after that. Plus all the First Years stare and whisper at me, I feel like I’m eleven all over again.”

“That sounds horrendous.” Albus said as he pulled out his books and got on with his work. The pair managed to work pretty hard for the next hour and a half before they both agreed the assignment was as good as it was ever going to get.

“So, do you like her then? Rose, I mean.” Albus asked as they began to pack their things away. He glanced around to make sure the school’s eagle-eyed librarian was nowhere to be found before pulling himself up onto to desk to stare at Scorpius with wide, eager eyes. The whole idea of his cousin and one of his best friends together made him feel pretty nauseous, but he had an insatiable appetite for gossip.

“I don’t think so.” Scorpius admitted, leaning casually back in his chair and meeting Albus’ eyes, “I mean, it’s Rose, you know! We’ve been best friends for years and I love her, there’s no doubt about that – oh, don’t glare at me like that – but I wouldn’t say I was in love with her, or even thought about her that way. I guess I just wanted to see if I liked it. Kissing her, I mean.”

“So did you like it?” Albus questioned, cringing at the idea of it, “Kissing her, I mean?”

“It was alright.” Scorpius answered truthfully, “But I don’t think I’ll do it again. I don’t think I’m her type and I’m fairly sure she’s not mine.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Albus interrogated, but Scorpius just grinned at him with an unfathomable expression before swiftly shoving Albus into his chair as the librarian stalked past. Albus grabbed a book from the nearest shelf and tried his best to look like he was thinking deeply about it.

“Anyway.” Scorpius said as the librarian vanished back into the depths of the library, “What about you? Got your eye on anybody?”

“I mean, not really.” Albus shrugged, feeling his cheeks flush with unintentional embarrassment, “The thing is it’s mostly, like, girls who think they like me because they think I’m like my dad, and sometimes it’s really hard to tell the difference, so I just say no to them all, just in case.”

“Have any guys ever asked you?” Scorpius asked suddenly, leaning forward in his chair with obvious curiosity.

“Well, this one guy did, but he was in my brother’s year so I was like… Why don’t you just go ask him? So he did, which was kind of hilarious because my brother’s like the most heterosexual, no-homo guy out there.” Albus couldn’t help but laugh at the memory even though he felt kind of sorry for the boy.

“Wait… Why do you want to know, anyway?” Albus demanded, fixing his friend with a glare.

“Just… Abject curiosity, I guess.” Scorpius said, waving his hand dismissively. Albus could only roll his eyes as he said, “Anyway, I’ve got to run. I promised Az I’d help her with that Potions essay, see you around.”

And just like that, Scorpius was gone, leaving Albus to try and puzzle out what that was all about until Rose came and sat down in front of him, pulling a veritable mountain of parchment and some quills from her rucksack.

“Hey, Albus.” She said breezily, “Fancy helping me work on these essays? I slept in this morning and I’m so behind schedule and I could really do with your help. Go on, I’ll buy you some sugar quills or something next time we go to Hogsmeade.”

Albus agreed, if a little unwillingly, though the next few hours weren’t as boring as Albus had expected. He helped Rose add the last few ingredients to her Potions essay, and the two of them recited all of Shakespeare’s works for their next Muggle Studies class.

“So...” Albus asked as Rose shoved her belongings haphazardly into her bag, “About last night, do you forgive me?”

“Of course I forgive you! And besides, it’s not really me you should be apologising to, though I saw Scorpius briefly and he said you’d apologised so it’s all forgotten now.” She grinned at him and ran a hand through her wild tangle of auburn curls.

“Right.” Albus said, “So, uh, do you like him or not?”

“That’s none of your business!” Rose blushed as Albus scoffed at her indignantly, “Fine. No, I don’t like him like that. I don’t like anybody like that, if you were wondering that too. My life is deeply boring. Unlike you, being the Minister for Magic’s daughter doesn’t get you too many offers for dates, not that I would accept any of them anyway.”

With that, she wished him a hasty goodbye and left. Albus spent the rest of the afternoon perfecting his Potions essay, as helping Rose had given him plenty of ideas. At dinner, he joined Haruko and Kofi at the Ravenclaw table and the three of them discussed their Charms homework. Work seemed to be all that anybody thought about or talked about, besides relationships and love and all of that messy stuff, and Albus was getting pretty sick of it.

Unfortunately, things didn’t get any better. The teachers began to pile on more and more work until nobody even had any energy to gossip anymore. Occasionally Quidditch was discussed, but only in the run up to a big game, especially after Slytherin beat Hufflepuff and got a place in the final against Gryffindor. Even then, the Fifth Years were too swamped with work to join the party.

In the run up to exams and as the weather gradually got warmer, Albus and his friends tried to hang out outside, but it was difficult to appreciate the beauty of nature when O.W.Ls loomed over their heads like a dark and ominous cloud. Everyone was stressed beyond all comprehension, and even Rose had buckled under the pressure on a couple of occasions. Thankfully they all had each other to turn to.

As it was, the exams themselves weren’t as difficult or strenuous as Albus had expected, as their professors had ensured they were well-prepared. Albus was certain he did well in Potions, Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures; however he had a niggling suspicion that his father would be disappointed in his grade for Defence. As for History of Magic - the less said about that, the better. Albus was just glad he would never again have to take an exam in the subject again.

From then on, the year eased by like a ship on a completely calm and still sea, as opposed to battling ferocious storms without even a wand for defence. After his last exam, Muggle Studies, was over, Albus didn’t do a single thing for an entire week. He got dressed and drank his coffee and went to all of his compulsory lessons, but it felt like all of his worries had been lifted from his shoulders and he could finally breathe.

He wasn’t the only one by any stretch. Most afternoons were spent in their usual spot by the Forbidden Forest. All talk of exams was expressly prohibited, so days were spent lazily discussing Quidditch while Albus tuned the conversation out and watched the clouds. He always made sure to tune back in when the conversation moved back to more interesting things, of course.

Most of the time Scorpius came and lay down next to him, and they eagerly chatted about the latest plot twists on their favourite Muggle television shows, or sometimes they just lay there and watched the clouds amble lazily past, trying to give them shape and form. Albus had no idea how it had happened, but Scorpius’ presence had become something of a comfort to him. He felt like he could whittle on for hours about this or that or whatever inconsequential thing was on his mind, and Scorpius would listen to it all attentively.

While Marcus and Stella were two of his very best friends, Scorpius was different, somehow. Albus felt like he always had to watch what he said around his two Slytherin friends in case he let slip something he shouldn’t, but with Scorpius he held none of those worries. He knew he could tell Scorpius anything and that he wouldn’t go spilling all of his secrets around the school or spreading rumours. Somehow Scorpius Malfoy had become his best friend, and it felt thrilling and petrifying and terrifying and wonderful all at once.

He was almost worried about summer, since he wouldn’t be able to see Scorpius every day. He was also apprehensive about telling his parents, of course, as Merlin only knew how they would react. James suspected they were friends, but they’d stayed away from each other since their confrontation at Christmas, and Albus rather hoped it would stay that way.

With only a few weeks left until the end of term, the final Quidditch match of the season between Slytherin and Gryffindor was held. Albus and his friends all went out bedecked in their brightest silvers and greens to support Stella, and were all surprised when Scorpius and Rose came to join them in the Slytherin stand in Gryffindor’s colours of scarlet and gold. A few of the Slytherins glared at the pair angrily but they were ignored.

“I can’t stand Quidditch.” Scorpius admitted as he came and squeezed in between Marcus and Albus, “Hence why I’m not in the Gryffindor stand. I don’t care who wins either way.”

“Oh, me neither.” Albus agreed, grinning, “Although I do think Slytherin are going to thrash you.”

“Bring it on.” Scorpius chuckled as the game began and the players set off into the air. They tried their best to follow the game, but all Albus could see were vague blurs of green and scarlet. If it weren’t for the commentary, provided by Jasper so as to be impartial, Albus was fairly certain he wouldn’t have had any idea what was happening.

The Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans that Scorpius had brought along were long gone by the time the game finished after just over two hours. The Slytherin Seeker, a Sixth Year, managed to catch the Snitch, though it didn’t make too much difference as Slytherin were already in the lead. Slytherin had won the Cup.

The Slytherin side of the pitch erupted in rapturous cheers and applause, to the extent that Albus felt his eardrums were about to burst. Across the pitch, the Gryffindor team clapped awkwardly and with a clear lack of enthusiasm.

Albus and Scorpius were getting up to go when a fight erupted on the pitch. Albus squinted but couldn’t tell for certain who it was. All he could see was that it was two scarlet robes against one green robe, and it looked vicious. The referee and flying teacher raced over, trying her best to separate them to no avail.

“Hang on, isn’t that your brother?” Marcus asked, “And your cousin, Fred?”

Marcus was right. Now he knew what he was looking for, Albus could clearly make out James’ messy brown hair and Fred’s distinctive auburn hair and dark skin. He could also just about make out the Slytherin captain, a Seventh Year who Albus had never had reason to talk to.

The two teams gathered around the three boys, some coaxing them on, some trying to get them to stop. Stella and Astrid stood to the side of the group, arms crossed with obvious frustration at the stupid antics of their teammates.

The pitch fell into stunned silence as Shacklebolt strode angrily onto the pitch, his deep turquoise robes billowing behind him. The three boys saw him approaching and stopped dead in their tracks, which the flying instructor used as an excuse to pull them all apart.

Everyone could see Shacklebolt shouting at the three boys, and held their breaths in anticipation of hearing what was being said, but no one could make anything out. Moments later, Shacklebolt turned and strode off the pitch, the three boys following him with their heads bowed.

Albus couldn’t help but laugh at the thought of how angry his parents were going to be at James, especially as it was during his brother's last ever weeks at Hogwarts, not to mention it went against the inter-house tolerance they had always preached.

The troubles on the pitch didn’t stop the party that night, of course. It was held in the Slytherin common room, and there were a few miserable looking Gryffindor players there, though James and Fred were noticeably absent. In no time at all, the music was thumping, the alcohol was flowing, and the four Gryffindors managed to blend seamlessly into the crowd.

Albus stood in his usual corner with Stella and Marcus, sipping awkwardly on a bottle of something he’d found on the table in the common room, presumably a Muggle drink. He was probably drinking much more quickly than he should have been, but Marcus praising Stella for her performance in the Quidditch match was already boring him out of his mind.

Glancing through the crowd of milling people, Albus saw Scorpius standing awkwardly to the side, his two friends nowhere to be seen. Without another thought, Albus pushed through the crowd to go and join him.

“Hey!” He greeted, his voice a little more slurred than he would have expected, “All by yourself?”

“Rose and Astrid decided not to come.” Scorpius replied, glancing down at him. Thankfully the bruise that Albus had given him had faded completely.

“Oh no, what a shame.” Albus said, giggling at his own insincerity. If he was honest, he preferred it when it was just the two of them, “Fancy a drink?”

“Sure.” Scorpius said as Albus pushed his way back through the crowd to the table where the bottles of alcohol the Seventh Years had gathered were piled up. He grabbed two bottles of the first thing he saw and put his own empty bottle back down on the table.

“Firewhisky? Interesting choice.” Scorpius glanced at the bottle before shrugging and taking a massive swig. He coughed and spluttered in disgust as Albus laughed, “Go on, you try,”

Albus grinned and took an enormous gulp of his drink. The back of his throat burned like nothing he had ever experienced before, but he had to prove himself, and managed to down half the bottle before his eyes started watering and his face began to burn. He was quite impressed that he had managed not to cough his lungs out.

“Impressive.” Scorpius remarked, taking a careful sip of his Firewhisky. It really was potent stuff, as Albus could feel his head spinning already. He felt lighter and much more carefree, as if none of the decisions he made would ever have consequences.

“Want to dance?” Albus said, completely ignoring Scorpius as he shook his head and grabbing his free hand. He pulled him onto the dance floor and giggled as he and Scorpius tried to sway in time to the music in what could have resembled a dance if it wasn’t so awkward.

They tried to talk over the music for a little while, but it was just too loud so they gave up and just danced and forgot all of their worries or fears. Albus thought it was one of the best times he had had in his life so far, better than every Christmas present he had ever opened and every kiss he’d ever had. It was just a complete absence of caring and having to be somebody he wasn’t, or having to prove himself all the time. When he was with Scorpius, he felt like he was finally free to be himself.

A little while later, a slow song began to play, and Albus, still giddy and daring from all of the alcohol, half-jokingly wrapped his arm around Scorpius’ waist and took his other hand in his. They danced like that for a while, laughing and swaying across the floor with reckless abandon. People might have been staring at them, but Albus really couldn’t have cared less. He could have danced forever and ever.

Halfway through the song, Scorpius grinned and put his arms around Albus’ waist, bringing them even closer together. Albus could smell the stench of alcohol wafting off him, undercut by a clean, fresh smell that Albus noticed was uniquely Scorpius. For the first time Albus noticed that Scorpius had a light dusting of freckles across his cheeks, barely noticeable even against his pallid skin, and his hair, usually so neatly gelled back, was falling out of place, dangling across his forehead and into his eyes.

Suddenly Albus met eyes with Scorpius and found he absolutely couldn’t look away, his emerald eyes locked with eyes of grey, just as stormy as they always were. They continued to sway together in time to the music until Albus realised that things weren’t quite as funny as they had been before. Inexplicably he found that they were moving closer together, their lips mere inches apart. He had no idea if this was what he wanted or what Scorpius wanted but his thoughts were racing too quickly to comprehend and he couldn’t get a firm grasp on them. All he knew was that he was in the Slytherin common room slow dancing with Scorpius Malfoy and everything was strange and wonderful.

The slow song came to an end and a heavy beat began to pound through Albus’ ears as Scorpius let go of him without explanation and was lost in the crowd of people jumping in time to the music. Albus stood there in the middle of the dance floor, surrounded by people but completely alone. He tried to latch onto one of the many thoughts speeding through his mind, but all he was unable to think of anything other than Scorpius’ piercing grey eyes.

Eventually he gathered his thoughts together enough to push his way out of the crowd, but Scorpius was nowhere to be seen, so he grabbed yet another bottle of firewhisky and sauntered over to the corner of the room to join his two best friends, who were standing there just as they had been before. To Albus, it felt like eternity had passed.

“So...” Stella said with a wry grin, “You and Scorpius were getting pretty close there,” She gave him a brief hug as Marcus simply winked at him from beside her.

“Yeah, so? We were just dancing,” Albus said with a noncommittal shrug as he took another sip of his drink.

“Yeah, sure, _that’s_ what that was.” Stella snorted, but luckily the conversation moved swiftly on.

Albus couldn’t get those eyes out of his head and spent the rest of the evening wondering where Scorpius could possibly have disappeared to so quickly. He considered trying to find him, but he wasn’t sure what he would say or do and he didn’t want to do anything he would later come to regret when he was sober. So he stayed where he was, guilt weighing inexplicably on his mind, until the party began to die down as everyone headed to their dorms. Albus was one of the last to go, just in case he caught sight of Scorpius.

The next day was a pleasant and sunny Saturday in early July, so Albus and his friends headed out to their usual spot, much later than usual as Albus had been so reluctant to get out of bed. In the end Marcus had had to physically drag him from his bed, shout at him to get dressed, and coax him into the hall for some coffee. Thanks to his friend, Albus felt a lot more alert and awake, if a little grim.

To their surprise, Rose, Scorpius and Astrid were already there. Albus was amazed by how good Scorpius looked, as if he’d had a full night’s rest and plenty of time to recover. The group bundled themselves in among the three Gryffindors and naturally Albus ended up right next to Scorpius. He could sense Stella trying to make eye contact, but refused to look at her. Instead, he resolutely focused on the daisies dotted listlessly amongst the grass.

“You look a bit worse for wear.” Scorpius said from beside him. Albus glanced up at him with wide, startled eyes.

“Well you look… Surprisingly okay.” Albus said, absentmindedly picking at the daisies.

“Yeah, I felt like absolute crap until I threw up. After that, I felt a whole lot better.” Scorpius picked up a few of the deserted daisies at Albus’ side and began making a daisy chain, whistling to himself.

“So is that where you went?” Albus inquired.

“Yep...” Scorpius began, “I remember we were dancing and it was awesome but then I felt violently ill and the next thing I knew I was in the bathroom in my dorm being sick into the loo while the other guys in my dorm ignored me as usual. Frankly I’m quite amazed I made it all the way to the dorm, since I don’t remember it at all.”

“I see.” Albus said cautiously, wondering just how different their memories of last night were, “How much did you drink? Jeez,”

“Well, I mean, before you turned up, all these girls kept coming up to me and offering me drinks and it would have been rude to refuse so... I just drank them all.” Scorpius laughed and shook his head.

“Then why in Merlin’s name did you accept the drink I gave you?” Albus demanded, grinning at his friend’s stupidity.

“I was drunk.” Scorpius said, raising his hands as if in self defence, “I couldn’t possibly have made a rational decision. If anything, you exploited me.”

“What a load of bullshit.” Albus replied, shoving him lightly in the arm. He was relieved that things between them were still good. He wasn’t sure what he had been expecting, but his brain had invented all sorts of ridiculous possibilities that had no chance of ever happening, now he thought about it rationally.

The rest of term passed by exactly as expected. Slytherin miraculously won the House Cup, much to the annoyance of the other houses, and even Albus found himself gloating about it to his friends on occasion. Lily had threatened him with an infamous bat bogey hex when he’d turned up to the Hufflepuff table the next morning to brag about it and he’d swiftly returned to his own table.

On the last night of term, the group found an empty classroom and spent a wonderful evening just talking and messing about until the prefects among them decided it wasn’t worth the risk of being caught so late after the curfew.

“Hey, Albus.” Scorpius said, catching his arm as he and his friends turned to go down to the Slytherin common room, “So, uh, since we’re friends now, I thought you might want to owl me over the summer or something so - here’s my address. I thought I’d best give it to you now before I forget.”

“Oh, cheers.” Albus said, a little startled but also glad to be considered such a good friend as he took the slip of parchment, “Have a good summer, if I don’t see you.”

“Yeah, you too.” Scorpius said a little wistfully. Albus couldn’t quite tell in the dim light, but he was pretty sure his friend’s cheeks were bright red as he turned to join Rose and Astrid who were waiting for him down the corridor. Albus grinned, shoving the note into his pocket as he jogged to catch up with his own friends.

The next day at the train station, Albus waved goodbye to his friends and promised to meet up with all of them over summer. When he saw Scorpius and his parents standing apart from the crowd, he didn’t hesitate to go over and meet them.

“Hey, Scorpius!” He grinned enthusiastically as he gave his friend a brief and awkward hug, “Are these your parents?”

“Obviously…” He said, smiling back and rolling his eyes before turning to his parents, “Mum, dad, this is Albus Potter. He’s… kind of my best friend. Be nice.”

“Pleased to, uh, meet you, Mr. Malfoy, Mrs. Malfoy.” Albus said hesitantly, shaking each of their hands in turn. Scorpius’ mum beamed at him warmly, while his dad remained a little more reserved. It was strange how much Scorpius took after his father, from his blonde hair to his stormy grey eyes, but his mother’s softer features were obvious on his face too, from his rounder chin to the smattering of freckles across his cheeks that Albus still couldn’t get of his head.

“You too, Albus.” Astoria said graciously, nudging her husband with a forceful smile, “Scorpius has already told us so much about you in his letters.”

“Oh, he has, has he?” Albus asked, laughing as Scorpius immediately turned bright red and glared pointedly at his mother. Even Draco stifled a laugh.

“Um, why don’t I come meet your family?” Scorpius said, grabbing Albus’ arm and pulling him away from his parents, his cheeks still bright pink.

“Sure, but I haven’t mentioned you in my letters, sorry mate.” Albus waved at them as Scorpius finally let go of his arm, “They might be quite surprised to find out we’re friends.”

“Let them be.” Scorpius said with a shrug.

“Hey mum, hey dad.” Albus smiled with relief as he hugged each of them in turn. James, who had been standing next to them, sighed and went to join his friends, “This is Scorpius. He’s my best friend.”

“Oh.” Ginny said, her eyes widening slightly. She took it far better than Harry, however, who did a complete double take, “Nice to meet you, Scorpius. I haven’t heard much about you from Albus, but Rose has told me plenty about you. It’s good to finally meet you. Isn’t it, Harry?”

“Oh, yes, lovely.” Harry said awkwardly, pushing his glasses up his nose and ruffling his hair as he always did in situations like this, “Um, give your father my best.”

“Will do, Mr. Potter.” Scorpius said as Albus smacked his dad’s arm, “Oh, hey Lily.”

“Hey, Scorpius.” Lily said, bounding up to give him a warm but completely unexpected hug, “What? We’re friends too, you know.”

“Yeah, why not?” Scorpius said, grinning wryly as Lily let him go. She beamed up at him, but he was distracted by his parents waving him over, “Sorry, got to go. It was lovely meeting you all. Albus, we need to meet up sometime. Just drop me an owl.”

Without another word, Scorpius turned and jogged over to join his family. Albus watched the family of three walk away, smiling and wondering what he could have possibly done to deserve a friend like Scorpius Malfoy. He couldn’t wait to see what the future would hold.


	13. Truce

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> from now on, since things have slowed down, chapters are going to be named after songs, with some lyrics from the song in quote marks at the beginning of each chapter, to fit the mood, tone etc. this chapter is named after the song 'truce' by twenty one pilots, enjoy!

"The sun will rise, and we will try again"

It was during the third week of the summer holidays that everything inevitably went completely and utterly wrong. It had all been going so well; The Potters had been on their customary trip to France, with the notable exception of James who was busy with his Auror training, and had just returned.

Albus had spent the majority of the two weeks on the Riviera lazing around on the beach, soaking up the sunshine and writing letters to his friends. He mostly wrote to Scorpius, as the two of them had taken to exchanging letters almost every day. It had become something of a disappointment for Albus to wake up and not find an owl scratching at his window.

At the beginning of the third week, Albus had agreed to meet Rose and Scorpius at Diagon Alley to catch up and do a bit of light shopping, as the three of them were pretty much the only ones not on holiday. Lily and his parents had practically invited themselves, but he didn’t mind too much.

The day itself began like any other. Albus sat at the breakfast table, slurping at his coffee and grinning at Scorpius’ latest letter as Lily flitted around him excitedly, trailing off a list of school books and supplies for the year ahead. James rushed out of the door in a panic just like he did every morning as Ginny kissed him on the cheek and Harry promised to meet him for lunch at the Ministry once he had finished shopping.

“Come on, let’s go.” Albus whined as he glanced up at the clock, “I’m meeting Rose and Scorpius in ten minutes!”

“We’re only flooing there, chill out.” Lily said, giggling. Albus sighed and said no more; when his sister, the most highly-strung person he knew, told him to chill out, he knew there was something wrong with him. He was just excited to see two of his best friends after so long.

In mere moments, all four of them were ready and headed into the floo. Even though Albus had flooed many times, he still found himself excited by the rush of it. He stumbled out of the communal fireplace in Diagon Alley to find Rose and Scorpius a little way down the road, waiting for him.

“Hey, guys!” He enthused as he rushed over to hug them each in turn. Rose beamed at him widely from behind a large pair of sunglasses. Her dark curls were pulled back into a ponytail and she wore an understated yellow sundress, very different from the casual clothes she usually wore. More surprising, however, was the fact that Scorpius was wearing jeans and a shirt, as Albus had only ever seen him in his school uniform. Of course, he was a Malfoy and so he still looked fairly smart.

“Scorpius, you’re wearing normal clothes!” He exclaimed as Rose giggled at him. He couldn’t be certain, but he was fairly sure she had rolled her eyes at him behind her sunglasses.

“I mean, I was brought up a Muggle.” He said, grinning, “What about you? You certainly look… Interesting.”

“What’s wrong with this?” Albus said, affronted, “Teddy gave me this t-shirt, it’s from his band. And I got these Doc Martens from a charity shop a few years ago – you were there, Rose, remember? It was after we’d learned about them in Muggle Studies.”

“Okay, but when was the last time you actually bought new clothes?” Scorpius asked, raising a blonde eyebrow. Rose stifled a laugh from next to him.

“Wow, I didn’t come here just to get bullied.” Albus said, sniffing and crossing his arms, “Maybe I’ll go with my parents, they might appreciate my company more. And if you must know, I got some new socks the other week, because all my other pairs had holes in them. So there.”

“Aw, come on, Albie, don’t be like that.” Scorpius said, sticking out his bottom lip. Albus froze at the use of Rose’s old childhood nickname for him and narrowed his eyes at her. She feigned a look of innocence as Scorpius collapsed into a fit of giggles next to her.

“What? Of course I told him about the nickname, no big deal – he is my best friend, and as your cousin it’s my job to embarrass you at every opportunity.” Rose shrugged, “Anyway, we’d better do some shopping if you still want to meet James for lunch.”

Albus and Scorpius both agreed with her on that and headed into the thick of the crowd on the winding street. It was a pleasant day, and so it seemed that the majority of the witches and wizards in Britain were all crammed into the nooks and crannies of the little shopping haven.

The next few hours passed by very amiably. The three friends purchased all of their school books for the year ahead from Flourish and Blotts, as well as all of their supplies. Scorpius had even dragged Albus into Madame Malkin’s and forced him to buy a new robe, as his was admittedly becoming rather tattered.

Albus was all too aware of the time as he window-shopped casually in Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes while Rose and Scorpius had rushed back to Flourish and Blotts to buy a book they remembered they had both been wanting for months. He had just begun to talk to his Uncle Ron when an incredibly loud bang sounded from outside, drawing the attention of everybody in the shop.

With a confused glance at his uncle, Albus raced outside and onto the packed street. He followed the gazes of the suddenly panicked crowd outside to a rapidly forming figure in the suddenly roiling skies. It took him a few seconds to realise what he was looking at, but when he did he took an involuntary step back; there in the sky, seemingly formed from the clouds, was a skull with a snake in its mouth – the Dark Mark.

“Merlin, not again...” Ron said from beside him, right before the world descended into a state of absolute chaos.

“Death Eaters!” A voice screeched from a little further down the road. Albus squinted and could just about see a herd of figures clad in black swarming out of the Leaky Cauldron. As one, the crowd began to surge away from the mysterious group. Albus was certain he had spotted Lily’s distinctive ginger hair down the street, closer to the surrounded pub, but he couldn’t break free from the flow of the anxious crowd.

In seconds, Albus was completely caught up in the mass of fleeing bodies. He tried again to turn back and push his way through the crowd, but all he could see was a blur of colours as people pushed past him with reckless abandon, paying him absolutely no heed at all. All he could think about was the fact that his sister and his parents and his best friends were somewhere in that crowd, and there was nothing he could do to ensure their safety.

Some witches or wizards tried desperately to apparate away from the street, but it was simply too crowded for it to be possible. From a few feet ahead of him, he could see his Uncle Ron fighting his way through the crowd with far more success. Albus ached to go and join him, but in seconds his uncle had vanished as the crowd continued to push him further and further down the street.

Fear almost completely overwhelmed his thoughts as, further down the street, the people in black began to shove their way through the crowd, shouting curses and hexes at every opportunity. Albus was nearly blinded by the sparks from their wands and prayed desperately to whatever God there may be that no one was seriously injured. With renewed courage at the thought that people might be needing what little help he could give, he desperately attempted to push his way back through the crowd, but it was absolutely futile; the crowd were just buffeting him backwards. There was nothing he could do. He was completely helpless.

Albus nearly let out a scream of shock as somebody, something, grabbed a hold of his sleeve and yanked him into a tiny alleyway that people had completely overlooked in their desperation to get out of Diagon Alley. He pulled his wand swiftly from his pocket and pointed it as menacingly as possible at the figure in the shadows, ready to jinx whoever it was that had pulled him away from his admittedly fruitless attempt to help. The figure stepped briefly into the light, and Albus let out a sigh of relief and lowered his wand when he realised it was Scorpius.

“What the hell is happening out there?” Scorpius demanded, his grey eyes wild and frightened in the brief glance Albus had at his face before he grabbed hold of his sleeve again and pulled him further into the alleyway. He began to pace frantically up and down, muttering to himself.

“Shut up,” Albus warned, and ducked further into the alleyway as the figures in black cloaks began to stream past the mouth of the alleyway. Once or twice a figure turned to look their way, as Albus desperately held Scorpius’ hand at his side, but they were invisible, hidden within the folds of the shadows.

“I don’t know what’s happening, I don’t understand it either,” Albus whispered a few moments later, as he and Scorpius stood with their backs pressed to the wall right at the end of the alleyway. Albus realised that both he and Scorpius were shaking all over from the fear and adrenaline, and he wished he could do anything at all to comfort both himself and his best friend.

Bright flashes disrupted his vision as spells were fired at the mouth of the alley. From what Albus could tell of the little snapshot they had of the street, everything was in a state of chaos, though it seemed as though the Aurors had arrived at last. Albus wondered absently if James was among them, then cursed himself at the thought as it only increased his substantial panic.

“Rose got away, I think,” Scorpius said breathlessly as Albus sighed with relief, “She was way ahead of me, I was coming to get you for lunch, but I swear I saw your parents running into the fight the second there was any indication that something wasn’t right,”

“They’re too bloody brave,” Albus said under his breath. He tried to briefly explain what he knew of the Dark Mark to Scorpius, but it wasn’t much. He knew it meant something bad; something very bad indeed. He could only imagine how terrified his parents must have been; to have lived peacefully for over twenty years only to have everything come crashing back in a matter of seconds.

Albus sank to the floor, heedless of how filthy it may have been. Scorpius soon joined him, and the pair of them sat there in stunned silence for what felt like hours as the fighting continued outside. Albus took Scorpius’ hand again and squeezed it gently, in a desperate attempt to comfort the both of them.

“Things are changing, aren’t they?” Scorpius whispered, his voice thick as if with tears. Albus gave his hand another squeeze, which was immediately returned.

“I think so,” Albus began, his voice cracking, “But we’re going to get through it together, all right? Whatever happens, it’s me and you. We’re going to fight back.”

“Me and you,” Scorpius agreed, letting out a small, pathetic laugh, “Who would have thought?”

Time seemed to come almost to a halt as the fighting gradually died down, until all Albus could hear was his own heartbeat, pounding far too heavily and quickly in his chest. He glanced nervously at Scorpius, who nodded back, and together they got to their feet, ready to face whatever was out there together.

Albus leapt back in shock when he reached the mouth of the alley, pulling Scorpius back with him as several spells were fired in his direction. Albus could feel the heat from a stream of red sparks as they rushed past his cheek, and dreaded to think what would have happened had he been only a couple of centimetres to his left.

“Stop, wait, that’s my son!” A voice cut through the myriad of blasts and explosions. Albus could have collapsed onto the floor in shock right then and there he was so relieved to hear his dad’s voice, but instead he forced his feet forwards until he was able to fall right into his arms, sobbing relentlessly and not giving a single damn about who saw.

“Albus! Merlin, I’m so glad you’re safe,” A feminine voice added; his mother was safe. Albus wept even harder as another pair of arms wrapped around his body. He had been so, so afraid, and simply knowing they were alive and here felt like a miracle in and of itself.

“Is Lily okay?” He asked, once the sobs had subsided and his parents had reluctantly let go of him. He took the opportunity to get a glimpse of his surroundings. Aurors lined the streets, clad all in black, as ordinary people stood huddled together, glancing about themselves in fear. Scorpius stood a few metres away from him, gazing intently at his feet.

“Lily’s just fine,’ Ginny reassured him in her most soothing tone of voice, “We’d just met up with James when everything started, so the two of them apparated back home.”

“Rose is safe too,” Harry added, raising his voice and making sure that Scorpius could hear him, “Ron found her pretty quickly and took her home, though no doubt Hermione’ll be stuck in the office for the rest of the day. We still know so little, but we managed to catch most of the perpetrators.”

“I just don’t understand why all of this happened,” Albus admitted, frowning at the disastrous scene around him.

“Neither do we,” Harry said. For the first time, Albus noticed the bags under his eyes and frown lines he’d never seen before, “But we’re fairly certain it has to do with that nonsense Pureblood ideology that some old Slytherin families hold to.”

“Not all Slytherins are like that!” Albus burst out, shocked at his own anger, “What about Marcus and Stella, and Rae and Heather? What about Scorpius? What about me?”

“Don’t worry, Albus, we understand that things are different now. It’s just that some people, people usually in Slytherin, haven’t yet accepted that. We’re not trying to place the blame on you or any of your friends.” Ginny smiled at him reassuringly and squeezed his shoulder.

“Now, Scorpius, you’re more than welcome to come back to our house for a little while I floo your father so he can come and collect you,” Harry said, his voice all serious and grown-up as he fixed Scorpius with an earnest gaze as he placed an awkward but gentle hand on his arm. Scorpius just nodded, his lower lip wobbling as if he were afraid of what he would say when he opened his mouth.

Without further ado, the two adults apparated back home with the two boys at their side. Albus gave Scorpius a quick, comforting hug before he decided to go with his dad, as he didn’t want his friend to be intimidated by him and knew his mum was easygoing and much easier to talk to.

Albus was happy to see James and Lily as he apparated into the living room of their house at Grimmauld Place. The pair of them stopped their anxious pacing as Lily rushed over to wrap her brother up in a big hug, though he felt a little too nauseous from the apparation to react with much enthusiasm. Even James looked visibly relieved to see that his little brother was okay.

“I’m just going to go and floo your dad, I’ll be right back. Do you want a cup of tea?” Harry asked Scorpius. He nodded faintly but stayed where he was as he and Ginny left the room, standing awkwardly by the door and somehow looking even paler than he usually did.

“Come on, sit down,” Lily said, beaming at him and leading him to the sofa, where he sat down with a small smile in her direction. Albus caught her eye and mouthed a thank you at her. He and Lily sat at either side of him, while James flopped onto the other sofa with a sigh.

“I still don’t understand,” Scorpius said quietly a few moments later, staring intently at his hands as if he didn’t dare to look up. Albus reached out to take his hand as he had done in the alleyway, but Scorpius recoiled from him.

“I don’t think anyone does,” Albus said in his most soothing tone of voice, though he still felt stung from the rejection, “It was all so sudden and unexpected. It’s really hard to think that they were people in my house, you know? I feel like the next two years are going to be even harder because of this.”

“At least you’re not a Malfoy… I can’t help but worry that people are going to try and blame me even though my family’s tried so bloody hard to move on from their past. It’s like people just can’t get over the past and they don’t want to let me get over it either.” Scorpius said quietly, picking at his sleeves before eventually letting his hands drop limply to his sides.

A little while later, once everyone was more or less settled in the living room with tea and biscuits, Draco Malfoy arrived. Albus couldn’t help but notice the awkwardness with which he shook his parents’ hands and entered the room, but then again it had been over twenty years since they had last come face to face, under very different circumstances and from opposite sides of a war.

“See you around, Scorpius,” Albus said, smiling and giving his friend a brief hug, all too aware of their parents’ eyes on them, “I’ll try and owl you as much as I can.”

And then Scorpius and his father were gone, and the Potter family were left alone to try and work out what to do next. Harry and James, of course, left immediately to go to the Ministry to try and deal with the mess that the attackers had made both of Diagon Alley and the Wizarding World in general.

Albus wasn’t sure what was going to happen next. He saw the tightness in his mother’s eyes and wondered if the world was going to be seeing a repeat of what had happened over twenty years ago. He fervently hoped that it wouldn’t, more for his parents’ sake than his own, as they had dealt with more than enough in their short lives and more than anything, they deserved peace.

The rest of the day passed by in a sombre way. Albus and Lily tried to cheer their mum up by making her lots of cups of tea and trying their best to cook dinner, though the results were a little underwhelming. Albus just wished there was more he could do to help her.

The rest of the holidays were completely marred by the event at Diagon Alley. Harry was hardly at home anymore thanks to the increased workload at the office, and when he was he could only be found in the study, writing up papers and reports. For the most part, Ginny seemed her usual, perky self, but Albus could tell that something was not quite right and that the scars from the past hadn’t quite healed.

Albus himself spent the majority of his time cooped up in his room as there was nothing better he wanted to do. He either wrote letters to Scorpius, most of which he discarded after only a couple of sentences, or he lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling or listlessly reading through his school books.

A week or so after the incident, Albus got his results from his OWLs. He was rather proud of his results, as long as he ignored his grades in Defence and History of Magic, but that was alright since he had no intention of continuing them anyway. He was most surprised at his Outstanding in Charms, as he was almost certain he had mucked up one of the incantations.

His extended family had gone round to his Grandma Weasley’s house that evening to celebrate both his and Rose’s results, and with all the good food and company he felt he could almost forget everything that had happened. However, he knew it wasn’t to last.

Neither he nor Lily were willing to return to Diagon Alley that summer, and by Uncle Ron’s accounts, it seemed that hardly anybody else was. The centuries-old businesses that lined the street were seeing a loss of business they had only ever seen twenty years previously.

Of course, Albus didn’t spend all of his time holed up in his little attic room. Rose, Marcus, and Stella were able to coax him out occasionally, and they spent a good few days exploring London. Scorpius was invited, but he never responded, and Albus began to get rather worried about his friend.

Rose reassured him that he was like that sometimes, but Albus couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. After the third time he failed to respond to an invitation, Albus felt he had to do something, anything, to get his best friend back.

-

“Dear Scorpius,

I hope you’re holding up alright. What happened a few weeks ago was horrible and I hope you’re not suffering in silence because you feel like you can’t talk to me, or Rose, or anybody. We miss you – I miss you.

If you want, we could meet up sometime, just the two of us. I don’t know, maybe with the others it just feels too overwhelming. Even if you don’t want to meet up, please at least consider it and let me know. I’m worried about you.

All the best, Albus, x”

-

“Dear Scorpius,

You never responded to my last letter from a few days ago. Maybe you’re just busy with all the school work we got given, I know I’ve been. Or maybe you just don’t want to talk. That’s alright too. Maybe your owl’s taking a while to deliver and I’m just getting ahead of myself. In which case, feel free to ignore this.

I don’t really know what I’m trying to say here – it seems like the words I write never quite match up to the thoughts in my mind. But please, if you’re struggling, you know you can always reach out to me. By some miracle, you’re one of my best friends, and that means I care about you and want what’s best for you. Please let me know if you want to meet. Or not. I just… Need to know.

All the best, Albus, x”

-

“Dear Scorpius,

School starts again in a few days and you never got back to me. Or Rose – I saw her yesterday and she said she’s been sending you owls too, to no avail.

Please, if you could just send me a really short message or something, just to let me know you’re receiving these letters or I don’t know, if you’re even still alive or something. Last night I had a dream that you were dead and it was horrible so please respond, if only to reassure me. It’s stupid, I know, but it really shook me. It just reminded me of how much I need you, I guess. Now I read that back to myself it sounds completely pathetic but I don’t know how else to put it.

I hope to see you on the Hogwarts Express if not before then. School is going to be hard this year, but it’s nothing our group can’t get through together.  
All the best, Albus, x”

-

“Dear Albus,

I’m still alive. I’m sorry for not responding, things have been kind of hard lately, and not just for me. My parents are scared and I’ve just wanted to be there for them. I’ve also been kind of a mess and I’m so sorry for that.

I’ve missed you too, but knowing you’re there for me has helped.

See you in a few days, I guess!

Love, Scorpius.”

-

When Albus at long last received Scorpius' letter, he breathed out an audible sigh of relief. It was if a tightness around his chest that he hadn't even been aware of had been removed, and at long last he could breathe again. He knew this year ahead would be hard, as the world tried its best to adjust to what had happened and his classmates tried to reconcile the event with their preconceived ideas of the Slytherins. Albus was just glad that he would have all of his friends to help him and each other through it.


	14. Miracles (Back In Time)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is named after the song 'miracles (back in time)' by the dø. enjoy, and if you can please give kudos or leave me a comment to let me know what you thought!

“I still care about you being well, I still wonder how we conquered hell”

On the morning of the first of September, Albus was of course rudely awoken by his little sister jumping on the bed. It was quite reassuring to know that some things never changed, though Albus was quite reluctant to admit that when he was being dragged downstairs at 6am.

In fact, Albus had arrived downstairs just in time to hug his dad goodbye before he left for another long day at work. James left not long after, ruffling Lily’s hair as he went and grumbling about another tough day of Auror training. It seemed that he was already becoming disenchanted with the realities of such a life, but Albus knew he’d stick with it, even if only for Harry’s sake. He had always been more determined than Albus to be exactly like his father.

Ginny made pancakes for her two remaining children as if on autopilot, slurping coffee as she went about it. Albus offered to help, downing his own coffee before going to pour the batter into the pan. In no time at all, the three of them were sat around the breakfast table, munching eagerly in silence.

“Now,” Ginny began as she swallowed her last mouthful of food. “I want you two to stay safe this year, and keep an eye out for each other, okay?”

“Of course,” Lily said, grinning. “Albus will need all the protection he can get. Lucky he’s got me, really.”

Albus snorted and jabbed her in the arm, but at the glare from his mother he resisted any further attempts of irritating her.

“The Ministry believes the threat has been quashed, but I just feel uneasy, so please stay safe. For me and your dad if not for yourselves.”

“We will,” Albus said. “But I’m pretty certain Lily can look after herself.”

“Damn right I can,” Lily said, draining her orange juice and winking at her older brother as Ginny admonished her for her language.

A little while later, Albus was in his room ensuring he had everything in order. He was just cramming an extra pair of socks into his full-to-bursting trunk when his mum knocked on the door and bustled in with what seemed to be a set of dress robes in her arms.

“What are those for?” Albus asked, eyeing them suspiciously. “I can’t even fit them in my trunk.”

Ginny simply winked at him as she threw his trunk open and somehow, inexplicably, managed to fit the mysterious robes in. Even with magic, Albus sometimes wondered if his mum wasn’t a superhero masquerading as a normal witch.

“Now, I meant what I said earlier. Stay safe. Look after your friends and make sure they look after you. I love you.”

“Mum, gross,” Albus said, sticking his tongue out. A couple of seconds later, however, he had his arms wrapped around her and he never wanted to let her go. “I love you too.”

“It’s just a shame I didn’t take you to go get your hair cut,” she sighed as Albus released her from the hug, running a hand through his hair and holding up a few strands in her fingers. “It’s so scruffy.”

“Maybe I want it to be scruffy,” Albus said, tucking the strand back behind his ears. “That’s my aesthetic.”

Ginny just rolled her eyes at him and told him to get a move on. A few moments later, and the three of them were in the car on the way to King’s Cross, Albus wedged in uncomfortably in the backseat next to his trunk. He stared wistfully out of the window as London whizzed by, wondering what this year would have in store for him.

Once inside the station and through the barrier to platform 9 and ¾, Albus met up with Rose, who stood away from the crowd along with Hugo and their parents. Albus greeted his two cousins with hugs, and ruffled Hugo’s hair as he always did. Normally his cousin would respond by laughing and telling him to shove off. This time he just flipped Albus the bird, after making sure his parents weren’t looking, of course.

“Hugo!’ Rose admonished. “Be nice!”

“Whatever,” Hugo replied, skulking off to find his friends, a group of similarly angsty looking teenage boys. Rose tried to suppress a sigh as he strolled away.

“At least you were never that kind of teenage boy,” she said, grinning at her cousin.

“Who says I’m not?” Albus asked with a wink.

“The fact that you don’t speak monosyllabically, or better yet, entirely in grunts and groans. Though you do have the whole ‘dressed in black’ thing down.” Rose looked to be about to say more, but she froze with her mouth half open and nudged Albus, her eyes pointing obviously at something behind him.

He turned and there, across the station, was Scorpius. On the surface, he looked the same as he always did. His white blonde hair was as neatly slicked back as ever, his robes as pristine and clean cut as Albus had ever seen them.

But underneath all that, something was distinctly wrong. Albus could see the grey shadows under his eyes from across the station; it seemed as if he hadn’t slept properly for weeks. Albus could see the tension in his limbs as he said goodbye to his parents and hugged them each; a tightness to the way he moved that hadn’t been there before.

With one last hug goodbye, Scorpius headed towards the train. Albus called his name from across the station as he and Rose waved him over, hands flapping enthusiastically. Scorpius’ cheeks turned bright red as parents and students alike turned to look at him and he hurried over to them, glancing warily around him.

“Hey Scor, it’s so good to see you,” Albus said, smiling at him. He felt like he should have said more, something with more meaning, something that could express how he truly felt at seeing his best friend again and knowing he was right there in front of him, not just words on a page or some distant memories.

“Scor? My mum used to call me that…” Scorpius looked thoughtful for a few seconds. “It’s good to see you too. And you, Rose.”

“I should think so; I was your friend first, after all.”

“Hey, it’s not a competition - there’s plenty of me to go around.” Scorpius shrugged his shoulders and smiled smugly. Albus was beyond relieved to see he hadn’t lost his sense of humour after everything that had happened; he’d come to rely on it rather a lot, and summer had seemed strangely empty and humourless without Scorpius’ constant quips and sarcastic remarks.

“Come on, we’d better go get the train - dad’s starting to look distinctly queasy at the sight of you, Scorpius.” Rose glanced behind them to where her parents stood. Hermione waved politely at Albus and Scorpius while Ron simply scowled, his face a peculiar shade of grey. Albus wondered if he thought Scorpius had had something to do with the attack on Diagon Alley, but reasoned that Hermione would have put him in his place had he voiced his opinion.

Albus’ thoughts were stopped in their tracks as the train whistle blew. He, Rose, and Scorpius made a mad scramble to the train, along with about half the school. They managed to make it on board eventually, but almost the second Albus had both feet steady, the doors slammed shut behind him and the train began to roll away slowly from the platform.

“Let’s go find the others,” Rose said, and the three of them headed down the corridor, hefting their trunks along with them as they went. At long last they found all of their friends in a compartment. With all of them together, it was quite a squeeze, so Albus and Scorpius sat together on the floor.

“I love your new hairstyle, Stella,” Rose remarked as she took a seat next to her. Even after so long, Albus found it strange that the two of them got along so well. Then again, he was still surprised that he and Scorpius were even on speaking terms sometimes, let alone best friends.

Albus glanced up at his friend and did a double take at her hair, which was now completely different. Instead of the braids she’d favoured for the past five years, her hair now more closely resembled Rose’s, though her curls were much tighter and formed a mesmerising afro around her head.

“Thanks!” She said, as brightly as ever. “The braids were getting old and I fancied a change, so…”

Albus rolled his eyes in Scorpius’ direction as Rose and Stella got deep into a conversation about their hair. His personal method of hair grooming was to get up, wash it, and not bother with it until the next time he washed it. It was a perfect system, really - maximum style with minimum effort.

“So… How’d you do in your O.W.Ls?” Albus asked.

“Pretty good,” Scorpius said. “The less said about History of Magic, the better, though.”

“Oh Merlin, don’t even talk to me about History of Magic.” Albus replied, suppressing the urge to roll his eyes yet again. “Or Defence against the Dark Arts for that matter. Dad was so disappointed when I said I didn’t want to carry on.”

“Screw him,” Scorpius said, laughing at the shock expression on Albus’ face. “My dad’s all like, ‘Do whatever you want. Don’t let your dreams be dreams. Follow the path you want to follow.’ It actually got pretty irritating after a while.”

“What? I wish my dad was like that, but he thinks I’m limiting my choices by dropping Defence and Transfiguration. I don’t even know what my choices are! I’m just doing what makes me feel happy!” Albus sighed and shifted so he was sitting with his knees pushed up under his chin.

“What? You and Jasper?” Scorpius’ response was smothered by Rose’s loud exclamation of horror and surprise. Every eye in the room turned to look at her, and she had the decency to look suitable embarrassed. Not quite as embarrassed as Stella, however, who had buried her face in her hands.

“We weren’t telling everyone yet,” she whispered, her cheeks maroon behind her hands. Jasper, who was at the opposite end of the carriage, simply sighed as Kofi and Astrid began to grill him with questions. Albus’ first thought was of Marcus, who was, he knew, still hopelessly in love with Stella. He looked horror-stricken, his usually tanned face almost as pale as Scorpius’. Thankfully, amidst the chaos, no one was paying him any attention whatsoever, except Albus, who sent him a sympathetic look.

Albus felt a slight twinge of irritation for Stella on Marcus’ behalf. If they’d only told each other their feelings sooner, none of them would be in this mess! He also felt a sense of relief that his own love life wasn’t in such a state.

The rest of the train journey was spent discussing relationships and love and all of that messy stuff which Albus decided right then and there he wanted nothing to do with.

“What about you?” He asked Scorpius, grinning mischievously. “Got your eyes on anyone?”

“Maybe,” Scorpius shrugged, but offered no explanation.

“Maybe is basically a yes. Who is it?”

“Not telling.”

“Come on. We’re best friends.”

“No.”

“No we’re not best friends? Damn, clearly I’ve had the wrong idea all this time. Scorpius, you wound me. I can hardly bare to be around you anymore.”

“Shut up,” Scorpius said, shoving him, but there was a small smile on his face.

“Did you guys hear? There were seven people from Slytherin at that attack in Diagon Alley - they’ve all been expelled, of course,” Kofi said suddenly.

“Anyone from our year?” Stella said cautiously.

“I don’t know - my mum wouldn’t tell me any more than that.” Kofi shrugged. The Slytherins in the room all made noises of disgust, Albus included. Having been there, he almost couldn’t quite believe that the mysterious people in the black robes had been his own classmates. It almost made the whole ordeal a lot more frightening.

“Were any of you guys there?” Rae asked, her blue eyes wide as she regarded the other people in the compartment.

Rose, Albus, and Scorpius glanced at each other nervously. Sure, they’d been there, but it wasn’t exactly something they would like to have to recount in great detail. Rose nodded surreptitiously at the two of them and they kept silent.

“Come on, guys, Prefects’ meeting,” Rose announced a few moments later, once the conversation had moved on. There was a great sigh of irritation as most people in the carriage clambered to their feet. In the end there was just Albus, Rae, Heather and Astrid left. Albus was just glad he could finally sit somewhere proper as his bottom had gone completely numb from the wooden floor.

The three girls were desperate to know about Stella and Jasper and how it had all happened, but he had to admit that he was just as surprised as they were to find out about their relationship.

“I always thought Stella had a thing for Marcus…” Astrid pondered as Rae and Heather vehemently agreed. Albus just stifled a sigh and decided it was best to keep his mouth shut for the rest of the journey.

 

* * *

 

 

“Where’s Stella?” Albus asked as he found Rose, Marcus and Scorpius together in one of the horseless carriages that would lead them up to the castle. Hagrid had explained to him a few years ago that they were actually run by thestrels, but Albus found it far more mysterious and unnerving to imagine the carriages ran all by themselves.

“Where do you think?” Marcus grumbled as he shuffled up to make room for Albus.

“She and Jasper are with Astrid and Kofi,” Rose said, rolling her eyes as the carriage set off with a lurch.

“In the couples’ carriage,” Scorpius added, looking equally disgusted. Marcus just sighed sorrowfully.

“What’s up with him?” Rose asked, frowning at him as he stared wistfully off into the distance.

“He needs to get a grip is what’s up with him,” Albus said, laughing as his friend punched him in the arm and continued gazing out of the window. “Also, is everyone in a relationship all of a sudden?”

“Not us. We’re the forever alone squad.” Rose said, earning her a high five from the rest of the carriage.

“We’re all going to die alone, aren’t we?” Marcus said, huffing.

“Quit being so melodramatic,” Albus said, punching him back. “We’ve got each other, so fuck everyone else.”

“That’s the spirit.” Scorpius said, smirking.

 

* * *

 

Upon reaching the Great Hall, the group of Sixth Years split up to join their respective House tables and watch the Sorting. This being his fifth time having to endure the Sorting ceremony, Albus was bored out of his mind. Even the Sorting Hat’s song couldn’t wake him from his stupor. In short order, however, the tiny, trembling First Years were sorted and Stella was nudging him to tell him that the Sorting Ceremony was over.

Waking up a little and glancing around the table, Albus couldn’t help but notice the Slytherin table was a little emptier than it had once been. There was also the notable absence of Vincent Goyle, Richie Spencer, and Lawrence Marr. Whilst disgusted at their actions, Albus couldn’t help but be more than a little relieved that he and Marcus would no longer be sharing a dorm with them. Pureblood elitists and cowardly bullies didn’t deserve a place at Hogwarts, and all of his Slytherin friends seemed rather relieved to see the three of them gone.

“Good evening, everyone,” Shacklebolt announced from the front of the hall as the last First Year settled into her seat. “I have two very different announcements to make - one very good and the other unfortunately very bad.

“I will start with the bad. Due to events over the summer, we have stepped up security at the school, and Aurors will be patrolling the school grounds at all hours. You may also have noticed the absence of a couple of students, but I’m afraid their actions mean we simply cannot allow them to come back. I would also like to stress the importance of inter-house harmony. You are all students of Hogwarts and none of you are all that different really, so please learn to get along.

“Now, onto the good news. The Triwizard Tournament is once again to be hosted at Hogwarts this year.” The Great Hall erupted into loud cheers at this. “Joining us later this week will be students from Beauxbatons Academy and The Salem Institute. I pray that you will welcome these students and treat them as if they are our own. Now, if you are thinking of entering the tournament, remember that you must be of age; no exceptions. And without further ado, let the feast begin!”

Talk at dinner that night was of nothing but the Tournament, which was a welcome distraction. Stella mentioned that she would quite like to enter, but her birthday wasn’t until the summer and so she was much too young. Albus, although he was also too young, didn’t even consider the possibility. Not only did he value his own life rather too much, he didn't particularly want to draw any more comparisons between himself and his father.

“Are you not going to enter, Albus?” Marcus asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Shove off, Marcus,” he replied, glaring at his friend as pointedly as he could.

“Is it bad that all I can think about is your brother?” Stella piped up from her seat next to Albus, speaking through a mouthful of food.

“Unequivocally.” Albus said, frowning at her. “Uh… Any reason why?”

“Well, just think how pissed off he’d be at missing such a great opportunity to be just like your father!” Stella hooted with laughter at the thought.

“Merlin… I’d better go write him a letter now, let him know,” Albus said, sighing wistfully. “I can almost see the steam pouring out of his ears when he finds out…”

Having finished his dessert of treacle tart, Albus headed back to the Slytherin dorm with Rae and Heather, as Stella and Marcus had to help guide the First Years to the common room. He didn’t envy them at all, especially not when he saw the harassed expressions on their faces as the bolder students bombarded them with questions.

“Albus, wait!” A voice called. It was Scorpius. Albus told Rae and Heather he would meet them back in the common room and hurried over to join Scorpius, who was leaning against a wall in the entrance hall.

“Don’t you have to help the First Years?” Albus asked.

“Probably, but Rose said she could handle them. I don’t doubt her.” Scorpius shrugged and ran a hand absently through his hair.

“Okay…” Albus said hesitantly. “What’s up?”

“I just.... Well, I wanna say thank you.” Scorpius said as he began to fiddle with the sleeve of his robes. “For like… Sending me all those letters over summer. They really helped. And I’m sorry I didn’t reply, it’s just… Things are hard at the moment. So yeah, I just want to say thank you, for putting up with me.”

“I wouldn’t want it any other way,” Albus grinned. “And thank you for putting up with my letters, they probably got pretty annoying after a while…”

“Not at all!” Scorpius defended. “I just… Yeah.”

“Yeah,” Albus agreed, awkwardly. He wasn’t sure where to look; he thought if he looked into Scorpius’ eyes, he’d get lost in their endless grey depths. Which was completely absurd, of course.

“Well, I should go help Rose, I guess… See you around.” Without another word, Scorpius slipped away in the direction of Gryffindor tower, an imposing figure with his tall stature and dark, billowing robes. Albus watched him go until he was out of sight, wondering if he should have said more, before sighing and heading back to the dungeons.

“They’re gone! They’re actually gone!” Albus was greeted in his dorm by Marcus bounding up to him excitedly, gesturing wildly about the room.

“Indeed they are,” Albus observed, noticing the lack of trunks at the foot of three of the beds.

“Looks like it’s just the two of us!” Marcus enthused. “Think of all the things we could do… Sleepovers… We could stay up talking ‘till whenever we like… We won’t have to get up at shit o’clock anymore… This year is gonna be great, I can just tell.”

“We could stay up talking ‘till whenever, but I know what the topic will be, so no thanks.” Albus strode over to his trunk and yanked it open, rummaging through until he found his pyjamas and wash things.

“Yeah, alright, you got me there,” Marcus said, even having the decency to blush slightly. “I’m just pissed off, you know, ‘cause I thought our friendship was really ascending to another level, and then I find out she’s got a new boyfriend and she didn’t even have the audacity to tell me… I had to find out on the train…”

Albus zoned his friend out as he got ready for bed, wondering if this was what his life was going to be like from now on. He shuddered at the thought; he really was terrible at giving advice and he hoped Marcus would realise that sooner rather than later and stop bothering him with all of his inconsequential problems. It sounded a little harsh, but it was true.

At long last Marcus stopped talking and settled into bed. Within moments, he was snoring soundly from the next bed. Albus lay staring at the ceiling for a long time, unable to sleep, until eventually, sometime after a clock deep within the castle had chimed midnight, he went and sat by the window, staring out into the darkness.

The windows were one of his favourite features of the dorm. Albus supposed Salazar Slytherin must have found the permanent view of the depths of the Great Lake to be rather dull, and so the windows were enchanted to show a different view from the castle every night.

Tonight, Albus could see across the Lake, which was rather mind-boggling when he considered that he was actually underneath it. That was magic, though, in all its wonderful simplicity. He stared absently at the stars, thinking about life and the universe and Scorpius, all those big unfathomable things, until his eyes began to burn, and before he knew it, he was fast asleep, wrapped up in his duvet on the windowsill.


	15. Holy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is named after the song 'holy' by pvris, i hope you enjoy it!

“You're all alone, you poor unfortunate soul”

The next morning, Albus awoke with a jolt to find himself still on the windowsill. It must have been very early, as the first rays of sunlight were just peeking over the mountains in the distance, bathing the dorm room in a pale, washed-out glow. He stretched, all too aware of the aches and pains in his body from his unusual sleeping position, before getting to his feet and stumbling over to pull his robes on.

Unfortunately, it was a weekday, and it wasn’t really that early at all, so Albus dragged an unwilling Marcus out of bed and the two of them headed downstairs, yawning so widely their jaws cracked. Albus slumped into his usual seat at the Slytherin table and poured himself a mug of coffee, downing it as quickly as he could despite the distinct scalding feeling on his tongue.

“Good morning Mr. Potter, Mr. Bourani,” Professor Zabini stalked up to them, handing them each a piece of parchment. “I have your timetables here… Albus, I must say I’m most disappointed in your decision not to continue with Defence.

“Oh, yeah… Uh, sorry, Professor,” Albus spluttered. He still wasn’t quite awake.

“Care to explain this decision?” The Head of Slytherin asked, quirking an eyebrow. From opposite the pair of them, Stella was clearly trying her best not to roll her eyes at her father. He handed her timetable to her without even sparing a glance in her direction, as focused as he was on Albus.

“Well, I don’t know, I just don’t think it’ll be all that important for my future plans…” Albus tried to explain.

“And what future plans would those be?” Zabini enquired, his tone of voice polite but his eyes flashing dangerously.

“Oh. Well. See, I don’t really know.” Albus admitted, as eloquently as ever.

“Indeed. I’ll see you third period today, Mr. Potter.” Without another word, he strode off, but not before he had leaned over the table and given Stella a quick kiss on the top of the head. She recoiled in horror and batted him away. He handed out timetables to a group of Second Years, chuckling to himself.

“The things I have to put up with!” Stella huffed angrily as she piled scrambled eggs onto her plate.

“You’re not the only one,” Albus said, sighing disconsolately. “I’d been looking forward to not doing Defence and all those free periods I’ll have all summer…”

“Oh come on, Defence isn’t all bad,” Marcus reminded him. “We’ll be learning how to produce Patronuses this year, remember?”

“Oh, jolly good,” Albus muttered bitterly. “I suppose mine will be a fucking stag.”

“What’s got your knickers in a twist, Albus?” Rose said, shuffling into the empty seat at his side, her timetable already neatly highlighted. Scorpius and Astrid slid into the two seats either side Stella at the other side of the table. A few Slytherins from further down the table glared at them before turning back to their own breakfasts.

“Zabini’s making him carry on with Defence,” Marcus said.

“What a prat.” Rose said, helping herself to a piece of Albus’ toast, before clasping a hand to her mouth in horror. “Shit, Stella, I don’t mean -”

“It’s okay,” Stella said, laughing and waving a hand dismissively. “I kind of agree with you at the moment.” She gestured to a little way down the table where he was chewing a Fourth Year out for not tucking his shirt in correctly. The poor boy looked absolutely terrified.

Albus was going to add his own opinion of Zabini, but was at that moment distracted by the post arriving in the form of a great flurry of owls descending upon the tables. He almost fell out of his chair in shock when Owlie, the family owl, dropped a large package onto his head before helping himself to the rest of Albus’ toast and flying away, his beak full.

“What is it?” Rose asked, as Albus picked the package up from the floor. Whatever it was, it was soft, and badly wrapped in nondescript brown paper. He tore it open and a letter fluttered out. Grasping it before any of his friends could get their hands on it, he read it eagerly.

“Dear little brother,

As I am no longer at Hogwarts, I have decided to bequeath upon you, as my next of kin, two of my most valuable and treasured possessions. Alright, they’re not really mine, per se, but I nicked them from dad years ago and he admitted he’d known all along and didn’t mind really. He also says you can have them now, but it totally wasn’t his suggestion. It was mine. Don’t forget that. Don’t let him tell you otherwise.

First of all, there’s the Marauders' Map - you know, the one grandpa and his friends made? It’s awesome. I couldn’t have pulled off nearly so many pranks if it weren’t for that neat little map. I probably would’ve been expelled in my Third Year or something. Anyway, to use it, simply say ‘I solemnly swear that I am up to no good!’ And to hide the contents, say ‘Mischief managed.” It’ll show you where everyone is in the castle, in like, real time. Our grandpa must have been pretty damn cool.

The second thing is the Invisibility Cloak - the original one. That’s why it’s all capitalised. Another essential tool in mischief making and crazy hijinks which I’m certain you don’t have nearly enough of. By the way, it’s like a thousand years old or something so treat it well and don’t lose it ‘cause I’ll probably get the blame.

Oh, and this year is gonna be hard but don’t let it get to you. You got this.

I know what you’re thinking right now, ‘who are you and what have you done with my quirky, sarcastic, arsehole of a brother?’ Well, he’s still here. He’s just been doing a lot of growing up recently and realising he made a few mistakes. That’s what growing up’s like. I hate it. You’ll probably have a great time.

See you around! (Probably sooner than you expect ;)

With lots of love and big brotherly kisses, James.

P.S I’m laughing so hard imagining you reading that last bit. Don’t worry, I only wrote it to embarrass you. You’re just as much of an arsehole as I am.”

Albus couldn’t help but roll his eyes as he finished the letter, before he emptied the contents of the parcel onto the table. The scruffy old piece of parchment looked utterly underwhelming, though Albus couldn’t wait until he was alone so he could try and find all of the secret passages he hadn't yet managed to discover.

The Invisibility Cloak was far more impressive. In the soft golden light of the Great Hall, it shimmered in a bizarre myriad of colours. Albus picked it up as gently as possible, stroking the soft, impossible material.

“Holy shit,” Rose said, reaching out and touching it hesitantly. “Is that what I think it is?”

“Yep,” Albus said, as his friends began to pass it around, oohing and aahing. Albus watched as Scorpius took the Cloak, holding it reverently in his hands, his stormy grey eyes shining. He glanced up at Albus and smiled that infectious smile of his. It seemed rather frayed around the edges, but Albus smiled back anyway.

Albus took the opportunity of his friends’ distraction to scoff a few slices of toast that he had previously been denied, before scooping up the Marauders' Map and the Invisibility Cloak and rushing back to his dorm so he could stash them away in his trunk for the time being.

His first lesson of the year was Charms, and while it had always been one of his best subjects, that one introductory hour to N.E.W.T level Charms made Albus feel like he’d been cast out into the sea without even a lifeline or a wand for support. Glancing around the room, at the scrunched up faces and stuck out tongues of his classmates, it was clear that he was not the only one who was totally baffled. Even Rose was finding it difficult, as became apparent when she threw her wand onto the floor with a frustrated sigh, before picking it up with a sheepish smile in Professor Flitwick’s direction.

After Arithmancy, in which Albus was thankfully still next to Scorpius, although their class had decreased dramatically in size and his friend had been noticeably quiet, Albus and his friends headed to Defence against the Dark Arts, as Albus whined and complained the whole time.

“Para amor de Deus,” Marcus muttered as they waited outside the classroom. “We get it, Al, you don’t want to do Defence.”

“But it’s N.E.W.Ts! Marcus, I could barely do it at O.W.L level. I dropped this class for a reason!” Albus threw his hands up into the air out of sheer irritation.

“Come on, it’s just an hour,” Stella said in her most soothing tone of voice. “If you really hate it that much, I’ll have a word with my dad.”

“Yeah, alright. You guys better help me with all the homework though.” Albus said, grimacing at the very thought.

“I don’t know, that’s a pretty big commitment,” Rose said, winking. Albus was on the verge of punching her, but at that moment Professor Zabini flung the door to the classroom open and ushered them all in.

“Now, as promised at the end of last year, we will be spending the first few weeks of this term attempting to produce a Patronus,” he began once everyone had entered the room. “First of all, I’m going to put you into pairs with people you wouldn’t normally work with.”

The class let out a collective groan as Zabini began to sort the students, seemingly at random. Stella was paired with Jasper and looked very happy at the prospect - apparently she hadn’t told her father about their relationship. Rose was paired with Daisy Yorke, a shy Hufflepuff with strawberry blonde hair and a tremendous amount of freckles. Scorpius was paired with Dalia Canti, a dark-haired Ravenclaw who seemed very happy indeed to be his partner. Marcus ended up with Sean McClaggen, a mean and obnoxious Gryffindor, and a Beater on their Quidditch team. He did not look best pleased.

Zabini raised his eyebrows and smiled smugly when he came to Albus’ name on the register, and paired him up with Mairi Oriole, a Ravenclaw who Albus knew to be, paradoxically, a bit of an airhead. She had quite a reputation within the school, as someone who dated lots of boys and left a trail of broken hearts behind her.

“Hey Albus,” she grinned as he went and stood by her awkwardly. He was about to respond, but at that moment Professor Zabini started talking.

“Now, in order to produce a corporeal Patronus; that is, a Patronus with the form of an animal, you must use the incantation ‘Expecto Patronum’. The strongest Patronus is one that is formed while thinking of your strongest, happiest memory. I want you all to think of one now.”

Albus thought for a little while, his brows furrowed, until eventually the image of one of many family Christmases put a reminiscent smile on his face and a feeling of warmth in his stomach.

“Now, I want you to channel that feeling into the spell. I will demonstrate first. _Expecto Patronum_!” With a wide swish of his wand, Zabini managed to produce a full, corporeal Patronus in the form of a magnificent cheetah which loped gracefully around the room to the open-mouthed, slack-jawed amazement of the students.

“Patronuses can be used in a number of ways,” Zabini said, as with another wide swish, the cheetah vanished in a puff of blue mist. “They can be used to defend against Dementors, of course, but alternatively they can be used to send messages, a use that became very popular in the last twenty years.”

“What memory do you think of, sir?” Jasper piped up, a pained look flashing across his face momentarily as Stella stamped on his foot and shot him an angry glare. He recovered quickly, flashing her a grin.

“A rather personal question, wouldn’t you say, Mr. Ramos?” Zabini said. “But if you must know, I think of my children’s first steps and their first words. Stella here’s first word was ‘broomstick’. I was so proud.”

Stella’s face turned bright maroon as the entire class began to laugh. It wasn’t a mocking laughter, however; it was the laughter of teenagers who sympathised with her for having such an embarrassing parent.

In due course, the class began trying to form their own Patronuses as their partners observed them. Albus went first, his face screwed up in concentration as he tried to recite the incantation while simultaneously attempting to conjure up all of his childhood memories of Christmas at once. The result was a thin blue stream of light that vanished after only a few seconds. He grimaced, wondering what he possibly could have done wrong.

“Your turn,” he said, gesturing vaguely in Mairi’s direction.

“Don’t expect me to get it the first time,” she said with a swish of her long, brunette hair. “I must say, I’m surprised you didn’t get it then.”

“Oh yeah… You and me both…” Albus said, wishing she’d just get on with casting the spell so he could have another go.

“Scorpius seems to be doing rather well,” she observed, nodding in his direction. Albus turned to see Scorpius at the other side of the room, enveloped in a swathe of blue light that could very nearly have had the form of an animal. Albus turned back, realising he was staring, to see Mairi gazing at him wistfully.

“I’m so jealous of Dalia, getting to be with Scorpius. He’s such a dreamboat,” she said with a sigh, then started as she realised what she’d said. “No offence. I’m sure you’re a great partner.”

“Thanks.” Albus said, rolling his eyes. “Now come on, Zabini’s glaring at you.”

By the end of the lesson, around half of the class had managed to produce a proper, corporeal Patronus. Albus still couldn’t manage more than a pathetic wisp of blue light that vanished within seconds. Even Mairi, for all her supposed airheadedness, had managed to produce a corporeal Patronus in the form of a hare which hopped daintily in circles around her as she clapped with glee.

“You’ll get there eventually, Al,” Scorpius said quietly as the group hurried to lunch.

“But you got it on your second try!” Albus said, thinking back to everyone’s shocked whispers as Scorpius became the first in the class to produce a proper Patronus, which took the form of a dolphin, leaping and diving about the place. Of course his Patronus would take the form of one of the wisest and most majestic creatures on earth. Albus figured at this rate his would probably be a rat or a squirrel or a cockroach or something.

“Just keep trying,” he encouraged with a small smile as everyone piled onto the Gryffindor table and tucked into lunch. It didn’t take Albus long to realise that of all his friends still taking Defense, he was the only one who hadn’t yet managed to produce a Patronus of some kind.

He picked at his meal, angrily pushing his food about his plate and wishing his friends would kindly shut up and move onto a different topic of conversation. Albus noticed through all his moping that Scorpius was also picking at his food, but before he had time to comment the bell had gone and everyone was rushing off to their next lesson.

The rest of the week passed by in much the same manner in which it had begun. Albus seemed to spend most of his time scratching his head and trying to figure out what the hell was going on. Thankfully, Potions and Herbology, his two favourite subjects, weren’t as bad as he’d been fearing, but the rest of the lessons were nearly impossible. Even Arithmancy, which he’d always been pretty capable at, gave him a headache and made him wish he’d never even picked the subject up in the first place.

Albus also began to be pretty worried about Scorpius. It almost seemed as if his best friend was isolating himself. He never spoke much at mealtimes or in lessons, answering only the occasional question when it was directed his way.

On Wednesday afternoon, everyone had a free period, so they headed outside to their usual spot by the lake to soak up the early autumn sunshine. It was a great afternoon, even if lessons and exams were all they spoke about, but Scorpius’ absence was keenly felt.

He asked Rose where he was but she admitted that she had no idea and was rather worried about him herself. Albus tried his very best to enjoy spending the time with his friends but somehow it just wasn't the same when Scorpius wasn't there.

By the end of the day on Friday, after a gruelling double period of Defence against the Dark Arts in which Albus still couldn't manage to produce a Patronus, Albus was about ready to throw in the towel on the subject completely. He was the only one in the class who hadn't done it so far and he couldn't help but feel like he was holding them all back. It wasn't like he wanted to be there anyway.

At the end of the lesson, Zabini called his name and told him to stay behind. With a desperate glance outside at the blazing sunshine Albus told his friends he would meet up with them later and hung around in the classroom, scuffing his feet against the wall absently.

“Now, Mr. Potter,” Zabini said, coming to stand in front of him with his arms crossed. “I know you didn’t want to join this class, but you really ought to apply yourself more -”

As his teacher said those words, something inside of Albus just snapped, like some string deep inside of him had been pulled too tight until it had finally just burst from the tension. He threw his arms up into the air with frustration, afraid that if he did anything else he would just end up punching Zabini or something.

“I’ve been trying, sir, I just can’t produce anything more than a pathetic wisp of smoke!” Albus said, clenching his fists at his sides.

“You know you could have come to me for help at any time, right?” He asked, fixing him with a hard look. “Just because I’m Stella’s dad…”

“Oh, no, that’s not it at all!” Albus said, blushing involuntarily.

“Of course,” Zabini said. “But if there was something between you and Stella, I would hope she would tell me before I had to ask you.”

“Um…” Albus’ eyes were wide with shock as he considered the absolutely absurd question his teacher had just asked him. “Sir, me and Stella are just friends. Honestly.”

“Oh,” Zabini said, blushing himself, a sight that Albus wasn’t sure he would ever forget. “In that case, let’s discuss the issue you have with your Patronus.”

“Thank Merlin.” Albus muttered under his breath.

“Now, why is it you think you can’t produce one?” Zabini asked, having regained his composure far more quickly than Albus, who really wasn’t sure he would ever quite recover from the embarrassment.

“I don’t know… I thought my memory was strong enough, but maybe not.” Albus shrugged in a half-hearted attempt at nonchalance.

“What memory is it?” Zabini enquired, fixing him with a menacing gaze.

“Oh, well, it’s just like… Christmas with my family. All the like, warmth and fuzziness that comes with that.” Albus had to fight with himself to keep the blush from rising on his cheeks now. Discussing his warmest, fuzziest memories with his teacher hadn’t been how he’d planned to spend his afternoon.

“Ah,” Zabini said. “A Patronus doesn’t call for warm and fuzzy. It calls for pure, unadulterated happiness. Are there any memories you have of a time when you were truly happy?”

Albus thought about it, his face scrunched up in thought and his brows furrowed. At first he thought about his little group of friends, and all the lazy but wonderful afternoons they had spent just lounging around by the Forbidden Forest. His mind wandered to the time he and Scorpius had spent stargazing that one magnificent evening, and to the time the pair of them had danced together. In that moment, he couldn’t possibly have begun to explain the butterflies flittering about in his stomach or the warmth that settled in his chest, but the smile that lit up his face left no doubt in his mind as to which memory he should have been using for his Patronus.

“There we go,” Zabini said, grinning back in that reserved way of his. “Now, before you go, I want you to try and produce a Patronus.”

Albus used the incantation, gasping in pleasantly surprised shock as a blinding wisp of blue smoke flowed into the room. At one point he almost thought he could make out the shape of an animal through the ethereal glow. The shock of it was too much, however, and he completely lost concentration.

“Well done, Albus. You’re nearly there. You’ll get it next time for sure.” Zabini gave him an almost encouraging smile, before he turned and headed back to his desk, “I expect to see you on Monday..

“Of course, Sir,” Albus said. “Thank you.”

Still grinning to himself, Albus left the room, and was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he walked straight into Scorpius, who had been waiting outside the classroom, presumably for Albus.

“Shit, sorry,” Albus apologised profusely as he helped his friend up off the floor. “Thanks for waiting, though.”

“No problem.” Scorpius smiled, and Albus found himself reminded of the butterflies and the warmth and the sheer happiness that had flowed from him as he produced his Patronus. “So, what did Zabini want?”

“To help me with my Patronus - I finally get the hang of them now!” Albus enthused as the pair of them headed through the castle, Scorpius still dusting off his robes after his unfortunate meeting with the floor.

“I knew you’d get there!” Scorpius said, squeezing Albus’ shoulder. “So, what form does it take?”

“I’m not sure,” Albus admitted. “I was so shocked the second I saw it that I completely lost focus and it vanished,”

“Oh well, next time,” Scorpius said. “For now let’s just go enjoy the day.”

“So you’re actually coming this time?” Albus said with a teasing smile as they reached the vast double doors of the entrance and stepped, blinking, into the gloriously warm sunlight.

“Oh… Yeah,” Scorpius said, looking abashed.

“Wanna talk about it?” Albus asked, his face all concern for his friend. If he could just get him to talk, maybe he could begin to understand what was going through his mind. He’d been so much quieter and more reserved this past week that he almost felt like an entirely different person. If it weren’t for the occasional sarcastic comment or joking smile, Albus would have thought he’d lost his best friend entirely.

“Not… Not yet,” Scorpius said with a heavy sigh. “For now, let’s just enjoy the day, okay?”

Albus couldn’t exactly disagree with him on that, so they sauntered down to the Forest to join their friends. He hoped to be able to coax it out of him sometime soon, as he knew it was what would be best for his friend, but with the imminent arrival of the students from Beauxbatons and Salem, he also knew that it could end up being quite some time before the opportunity arose.

For now, though, he did as Scorpius said, and enjoyed the day, however forced Scorpius’ smiles and jokes may have felt throughout it all.


	16. Angela

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is named after the song 'angela' by summer camp, i hope you enjoy! (and yes, i did name an entire character after one song) (and i would like to apologise for my french at the end there, i'm nowhere near fluent)

“You make it so complicated, you make it so hard”

That Saturday marked the eagerly anticipated arrival of the students from Beauxbatons Academy and The Salem Institute. Albus had intended to spend the day having a nice, well-deserved lie in after one of the most stressful weeks of his life before finally trying out the Marauders' Map and eventually heading to dinner to see the new students for the first time.

Unfortunately, his friends had made sure this would not be the case. He’d barely slept the night before because Marcus had been wittering on about his love life until the small hours of the morning, and yet he still had the audacity to drag Albus out of bed at exactly eight am. Albus was barely conscious at that time on a weekday unless he had copious amounts of coffee in his system, so he really wasn’t sure what Marcus was trying to achieve.

At breakfast that morning, Albus sipped his coffee in stony, half-asleep silence, glaring about the table at all of his so-called friends.

“Albus, you need to cheer up a bit,” Stella said, laughing as she poured herself a glass of orange juice, stolen from a group of disgruntled looking Hufflepuffs. They were sat on the Hufflepuff table today, much to Marcus’ annoyance but to Jasper’s pleasure.

“You have no idea,” Lily giggled, jabbing her older brother in the arm. “In summer I like to wake him up at six am, just to see how grumpy he can be.”

“You’re the worst sister in the world,” Albus grumbled through a mouthful of scrambled eggs.

“Well, I do try,” Lily said, swishing her long, ginger hair and rolling her eyes theatrically. “Oh, morning Scorpius!”

“Morning, Lily,” Scorpius said as he came and sat next to her, yawning. Albus was just glad he wasn’t the only one still absolutely exhausted. The first week of N.E.W.Ts had been rather brutal.

“So, why are we all up so early?” Rose asked as she slid into the seat next to Albus.

“Because,” Marcus said eagerly. “I thought we could all go outside so we could see the exchange students arriving!”

“Okay, I will admit, that’s a pretty good idea,” Albus said, though really what he wanted more than anything was to go back to bed for a couple of hours. However, he was up now, so he figured he might as well make the most of it.

“Let’s go then,” Stella said brightly, taking Jasper’s hand and pulling him to his feet before leaning in to kiss him gently on the lips. She cast a furtive glance around the room as she pulled away, and on realising that her dad was nowhere in sight, she released a deep sigh.

“I think we’ll meet you there,” Marcus said, eyes fixed on the table in front of him.

“Yeah, we only just got here!” Rose added, grabbing a piece of toast and biting it as if for dramatic effect.

“Suit yourselves, but don't be mad at us if all the good places to sit are gone.” With that she flounced away with Jasper following behind like an eager puppy. Albus couldn't help but feel a little of Marcus’ disgust.

“Come on, Scorpius, we'd better go join them,” Lily declared out of the blue with a pointed look in Scorpius’ direction. Albus frowned; since when had the two of them become such good friends?

“Uh… Yeah, I suppose...” Scorpius said with a reluctant shrug as Lily took hold of his arm and the pair of them strolled away.

“Did that really just happen?” Albus asked, blinking in the direction of the double doors at the end of the hall.

“I… Think so?” Rose said, seemingly just as dumbfounded as her gaze followed them out of the room. Then she simply shrugged and returned to her breakfast. Albus thought that perhaps she had her priorities right after all and began devouring the rest of his eggs.

“Come on, we’d better go,” Marcus said a little while later. “Stella’s probably right, we don’t want to miss out on all the best seats.”

“I thought they weren’t arriving ‘till this afternoon?” Astrid asked, glancing down at her watch. “And anyway, we should be starting Quidditch trials.”

“You do realise Quidditch is cancelled during the Triwizard Tournament, right?” Rose said. Astrid looked absolutely horror stricken; though Albus couldn’t for the life of him begin to understand it, Astrid loved anything to do with sport and Quidditch was without a doubt her favourite thing about Hogwarts.

“They can’t do that!” She scoffed indignantly.

“I think they use the pitch for the tasks,” Albus said. “And no, they aren’t arriving ‘till this afternoon. I’m as baffled as you are.”

“Oh, forget that! Quidditch is more important.” She crossed her arms and frowned like a sulking child. “We’re wizards! Can’t they just use magic?”

“Dunno,” Marcus said, gathering his things together.

“I’m going to start a petition,” Astrid announced as she got to her feet. “This simply won’t do. How can I be expected to cope a whole year in this place without Quidditch?”

“We’ve coped pretty well without it for five years,” Albus remarked as he stretched and yawned widely. He felt a little more awake now, but still nowhere near as alert as he would like to feel. Reluctantly, with his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his robes, he followed his friends outside as they continued to bicker about the importance of Quidditch or the lack thereof.

Albus was stopped in his tracks in the entrance hall by the sight of Scorpius and his sister, standing together in an alcove with their heads pressed together. When they spotted Albus, they both jumped a foot or so away from each other as if they had been stupified. Albus didn’t hesitate to go over and talk to them, and find out once and for all about their peculiar friendship.

“Morning,” He said breezily, “I didn’t realise you two were friends.”

“Oh, yeah,” Scorpius began, smiling a completely insincere smile. “I’ve just been helping Lily here with a few relationship problems she’s been having.”

“Pah!” Lily snorted and elbowed Scorpius hard in the side. He let out an indignant whine as Lily continued, “what Scorpius means, of course, is that I’ve been helping him with his relationship troubles.”

“Oh yeah?” Albus laughed at the thought of either of them having relationship troubles but also felt slightly queasy at the thought of either of them being in a relationship. Perhaps it was for the best if they were having problems. “You know, I’m pretty sure Mairi Oriole has a massive crush on you – maybe that’ll solve all your troubles.”

“Mairi?” Lily scoffed. “Even I know she’s bad news."

“Lucky me,” Scorpius said, a grimace across his face.

“Guys, come on!” Marcus yelled, his head sticking through the double doors of the exit. The frustration in his voice was clear as a large group of Gryffindor Fifth Years shoved past him, ignoring his protests. With one last questioning look in his sister’s direction, to which she merely winked at him, Albus headed outside before Marcus burst a vein or got into a fight with a group of Gryffindors.

 

* * *

 

“Wake up!” A couple of hours later, Albus was rudely awoken by Scorpius hissing into his ear and jabbing him in the side. After the exhausting week he had had, he was not at all surprised at the fact that he had fallen fast asleep in the long grass, which tickled at his bare arms as he pulled himself upright with a great amount of effort.

It was sometime late in the afternoon, judging by the bright blue sky in comparison to the relatively low position of the sun. Albus’ stomach grumbled, keenly reminding him that he had fallen asleep during lunch, but he tried his best to ignore it. As a growing teenage boy, however, he knew it would be a long, long wait until dinner.

Glancing around, he was astonished by the sheer number of pupils dotted across the grounds of Hogwarts. Grudgingly, Albus admitted that Marcus had been right to go out early to find a good space to sit, as their spot, with the best views of both the lake and the castle, stunning and foreboding in the warm afternoon light, was almost bursting with students from all years and houses. That wasn’t to say he wouldn’t rather be exploring the castle with the Marauders' Map while it was completely deserted, of course. He could have gone anywhere he wanted without fear of being caught, yet here he was, wasting his time falling asleep on the grass.

“They’re arriving soon!” Rose enthused, glancing at her silver wristwatch. Their little group, all eleven of them, were huddled together in a little copse of trees, half in the shade. Albus was fairly certain that they had the best view of the entire school from their relatively high vantage point, and he shuffled so he was leaning against the tree, sighing contentedly as he watched the beautiful landscape spread out before him.

“There, in the sky!” Rae exclaimed suddenly, shaking Albus from his half-asleep reverie. Albus squinted into the vast, bright blue depths of the sky, and thought he may have seen a speck that hadn’t been there previously. In time the speck gradually began to grow in size, its form vague and incomplete.

“Is that… A carriage?” Stella asked, barely squinting at all, unlike the rest of them. She had always had completely perfect vision, something which irked Albus perhaps more than it should have.

She was right, however; in no time at all, the vague form in the sky became gilded silver and gold in the form of a striking carriage, led by a team of shimmering, glossy white pegasi, proud and dainty even as they soared through the sky and began their slow descent onto the school grounds.

Albus watched with bated breath and half-disguised horror as the carriage came ever closer to the ground, and for a split second it seemed as though the carriage would crash into the school or the lake. As it was, the pegasi landed with just as much grace as they had flown with. The carriage barely rocked at all as it sped across the open space that Hagrid had so diligently cleared just a few hours previously, before coming to a halt not far from the castle.

The student body got to its feet as one as it rushed towards the carriage. Albus pulled himself to his feet lackadaisically as the students began to crowd around the carriages. He glanced behind to see that the wide, leafy tree had branches perfect for climbing. Without another thought, he hauled himself up onto the branch and continued to climb until he had a perfect vantage point of the carriage, clearly visible even through the bodies of the students.

A few moments later, Albus nearly fell from the tree in shock as someone came and sat down heavily on the branch next to him. Glancing to his side, he was relieved to see the pale blonde hair that was so familiar to him.

“I don’t get all the hype,” Scorpius said, sighing as he leaned into the trunk of the tree and rested his head against it lethargically.

“I know. I mean, they’re wizards like us. They just happen to be from France or Spain or America or wherever.” Albus shrugged and stretched, working out the kinks that had formed in his back from falling asleep on the grass.

“Still pretty cool though, I guess,” Scorpius muttered.

“Wow, try and show at least a little enthusiasm,” Albus said, nudging his friend. Down below, students were pouring out of the carriage, dressed in thin robes of baby blue silk. Albus shuddered at the thought of how cold they would get when it came to winter.

“Nah,” Scorpius said.

“Spoilsport,” Albus said, laughing at his friend’s reproachful look.

“Do you really think everything’s going to be okay this year?” Scorpius asked suddenly, completely out of the blue. Albus turned to face him, but Scorpius was gazing listlessly in the direction of the castle.

“Dunno, mate,” Albus said honestly. “We’ve just got to rise above it all. If anyone says anything to you or whatever, just come and see me, alright?”

“I can look after myself!” Scorpius hissed, wrapping his arms around himself. From here, Albus could just about see the deep shadows underneath his friend’s eye, and was all too aware of the creases in his robes where previously there would only have been smooth, freshly laundered cloth, as well as how long and unkempt his usually neatly cut and slicked back hair was becoming.

“I’m kind of beginning to doubt that, to be perfectly honest,” Albus said, as kindly as one could possibly say that sort of thing. He needed Scorpius to understand that he was right here, at any time, if he every needed to talk or rant or cry or anything at all. His mouth couldn’t form the right words, however, and his friend seemed completely unwilling to listen.

“What do you know?” Scorpius spat vehemently.

“I just want what’s best for you!” Albus defended, regretting getting into this conversation in the first place – it had been Scorpius who had started it, after all.

“Yeah, and so does Rose, and so does Astrid, and so do my parents, my teachers, everybody! I wish they’d all just leave me alone!” Without another word Scorpius jumped down from the branch and onto the ground, before skulking back to the castle, his shoulders hunched and his head down to keep a low profile. Albus watched in dumbfounded silence as his retreating figure got smaller and smaller, leaving a wide berth around the group of students still crowded around the Beauxbatons carriage, before finally disappearing into the castle.

Albus rubbed his temple absently as he considered what to do about his best friend. He hated seeing him like this; so closed-off and reactive. If he could only get through to him, make him see sense, make him realise that he was pushing everybody away; if he only realised that so many people cared for him and loved him so deeply they would be willing to do absolutely anything for him, then – Albus’ thoughts were harshly and abruptly cut off by the overbearing sound of a trumpet, playing a sprightly and upbeat tune.

In the open space that Hagrid had cleared, students began appearing in groups of threes or fours as if they had formed from the very air itself. It took Albus a few seconds of open-mouthed shocked to realise that these must be the students from Salem. While their arrival was a little less impressive, there was no doubt in his mind that their arrival would leave no less of an impact on his mind.

With all of the exchange students gathered in one place, the Hogwarts pupils began to head inside, just as Shacklebolt strode across the grounds to greet two people who Albus supposed must have been each school’s respective Headmaster. He shuffled off the branch and landed clumsily on the ground before heading over to join his friends, who were rather visible from Rose’s shock of dark auburn hair in contrast with Astrid’s long, almost white locks.

“Hey, guys!” He called as he jogged over to join them, trying his best to calm his breathing.

“Hey, where’s Scorpius?” Rose inquired, looking around for any sign of her friend.

“Oh, yeah… He kind of stormed off in a mood...” Albus admitted. “Probably my fault...”

“Don’t say that,” Rose said, smiling at him encouragingly, a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “You know what he’s like at the moment,”

“Don’t I just,” Albus muttered bitterly. Rose patted him on the shoulder as they entered the hall, desperately trying not to be jostled about by all the other students. With a last small wave in his direction, Rose headed towards the Gryffindor table with Astrid. Scorpius was still nowhere to be found.

Albus found Stella, Marcus, Rae, and Heather through the crowd and followed them to the Slytherin table, where he slid into the seat right at the very end of the table. Albus couldn’t fail to notice that a few extra seats had been added; presumably for the new students.

Once all of the Hogwarts students and teachers alike were seated, more or less calmly, Shacklebolt entered the room, as resplendent and proud as ever. He went to stand behind the golden lectern at the very front of the hall as the room quickly descended into total silence.

“Good evening, everybody,” he began, his eyes sweeping across the room as if he was taking in every face before him. “It is a great honour tonight to welcome to our school delegates from two of the finest educational establishments in the world. Without further ado, Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, and their Headmistress, Madame Bénichou!”

At Shacklebolt’s words, the students of Beauxbatons, all finely garbed in those fine robes of pale blue silk, entered the hall closely behind their Headmistress, a tall, imposing woman, with sharp features and steel grey hair pulled into a neat but effortlessly stylish bun underneath her silver, pointed wizard’s hat. With a nod from Madame Bénichou, the students seated themselves at the ends of the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables.

“And now, The Salem Institute with their Headmaster, Professor Cohen!” As Shacklebolt flourished his robes in a bow, the students of Salem entered, with Professor Cohen leading them. Compared to the students from Beauxbatons, they looked like a rather rag-tag bunch of people. Unlike Beauxbatons or Hogwarts, it was clear that Salem had no school uniform policy, and so its students were free to wear whatever they chose. It was rather easy to separate the Muggleborns from those who had had a magical upbringing simply by who was wearing robes and who wasn’t.

Professor Cohen was, Albus guessed, in his mid to late thirties, and had short, sandy blonde hair, spectacles, and an easy-going smile. From the smart tartan suit and sweater vest he was wearing, Albus would also have guessed that he had been brought up as a Muggle. Once he had reached the front of the Hall, he shook hands with Shacklebolt and Madame Bénichou before the pair of them took seats at opposite ends of the teachers table.

The students from Salem took this as their cue to take their seats, at back of the hall on the Ravenclaw and Slytherin tables. Albus found himself opposite a pretty girl with long, dark, tumbling curls almost to her waist and unfathomable brown eyes. She smiled shyly at him before turning to whisper to her friends as Shacklebolt began to speak once more.

“As well as the students, it is with great pleasure that I welcome Michael Corner, Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports. He has worked closely with all three schools to ensure that this will be the best, and hopefully also the safest, Triwizard Tournament yet,” Shacklebolt nodded towards the teacher’s table, where an unimposing man with dark hair about the age of Albus’ parents stood, his cheeks bright red as if he loathed the attention. Albus could easily sympathise with that. Shacklebolt nodded once again and the man took his seat, eyeing Hagrid warily in the next seat.

“It also gives me great joy to welcome Amelia Fittleworth, assistant to the Head of the Department of International Magical Co-operation, who is helping to ensure that relations between the three schools run as smoothly as ever.” From the other side of Michael Corner, a tall, blonde haired woman with sharp features rose to her feet, grinning easily about the room, before she sat back down again, chatting to Professor Lovegood who was next to her.

“Without further ado, I present the Goblet of Fire!” Shacklebolt nodded at Mr Ziegler, one of the school’s husband and wife caretaking team who Albus had, for the most part, managed to avoid. The man hefted onto the stage a great wooden casket, encrusted with jewels that sparkled in the early evening candlelight. Glancing around, Albus could see that nearly everyone was at the edge of their seats, brimming with excitement and anticipation.

Without another word, Shacklebolt tapped the casket three times with his wand. It creaked slowly open, and he gingerly pulled out the Goblet, a roughly hewn wooden cup. It looked utterly unremarkable and devoid of magic until Shacklebolt placed it back on the casket and it blazed to life, eager white-blue flames dancing across the brim.

“Usually you will have only twenty-four hours to enter, but this year we’re giving you a little leeway, not least because we realise how difficult a decision it is to enter. You will have until the end of the month – 3 weeks – to put your name in the cup. Use this time wisely. Once your name is in, it cannot be removed.” He stared at all of the students in the room, not a hint of amusement across his face.

“Now, I will welcome our guests one last time and wish them a pleasant and comfortable stay at Hogwarts. Let the feast begin!” The new students stared in wide-eyed wonder as great big platters of food appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Albus’ stomach grumbled uncomfortably, a reminder that he hadn’t eaten since breakfast, and so he made sure to pile his plate high with food.

“You have quite an appetite,” the girl opposite him giggled in a high, twinkly, and rather pleasant voice with a distinct American accent, as she piled just as much food onto her own plate. “I’m Angela, by the way. It’s so amazing to be here, at Hogwarts – I mean, it is the best Wizarding school in the world, after all.”

“Yeah, I guess it is,” Albus said, grinning through a mouthful of mashed potato as Angela’s friends nudged each other beside her. She ignored them completely. “Oh, and I’m Albus.”

“Albus Potter?” She asked, her dark eyes widening in surprise. From beside her, her friends nodded to each other in satisfaction as Albus continued to shovel food into his mouth in an attempt to ignore them.

“Good to know I’m famous even in America,” he said in the most sarcastic tone of voice he could possibly have mustered up. “So, what’s it like then, at Salem?”

“Oh, it’s wonderful,” Angela said with a wistful smile. “I mean, it’s obviously a lot younger than Hogwarts, but the school is absolutely stunning, and there’s all that historical significance… Really, it’s just wonderful.”

They spent the rest of dinner eagerly discussing Salem, and the differences between Hogwarts and the American school. It was much larger than Hogwarts, with nearly two thousand students, as it catered to the entire east coast of the United States. Albus was fascinated to learn that there were two more wizarding schools in the United States, as well as one in Quebec, Canada. He had never really thought much about the magical world beyond his own country, and suddenly the world felt much bigger than it had before.

Albus was sad to learn that he wouldn’t be sharing lessons with the new students, not least because they were Seventh Years, but also because they were to continue having their own lessons. Albus was just happy that he would be able to see Angela at mealtimes. Unlike her friends, she didn’t seem to care too much about his famous heritage. And, Albus admitted to himself, she was absolutely beautiful, with an easy smile and sense of humour.

As the meal finished, Albus was really quite sad to see her go. She waved goodbye and promised to meet him at breakfast the next morning, before linking arms with her friends and leaving the hall, deep in conversation. Albus supposed it would be about him, but he tried his best to ignore that.

He glanced over to the Gryffindor table, and let out a sigh of relief when he saw Scorpius there, picking at his food as usual. At least he had turned up, Albus thought, considering the mood he had been in when he stormed off earlier. Albus tried to smile at him, but the other boy seemed to be ignoring him.

“Bloody typical,” Marcus said once Albus had stopped trying to catch Scorpius’ attention; then again, he was four tables away, and simply might not have seen him. “The Beauxbatons and Salem students only arrived today and Albus Potter has already snagged one of them,”

“We were only talking!” Albus defended, shoving Marcus in the arm. “I’m sure you’ll get to know them in time.”

“Yeah, well, neither of us has famous parents,” Stella interjected before taking one last mouthful of pumpkin pie, so Albus reached over Marcus and shoved her too.

“Oh come on, surely she’s not that superficial?” Albus demanded, but Stella simply smiled that infuriating, all-knowing, best friend smile while Marcus whistled and tried his best to look innocent. Albus grumbled under his breath.

“Come on, let’s go, I’m shattered,” Marcus said, rising to his feet and yawning widely.

“Whose fault is that?” Albus laughed, dodging his punch and racing out of the hall, his two friends close behind. They stopped in the entrance hall, giddy and happy. A couple of girls from Beauxbatons walked past a few feet away, one of them eyeing him curiously.

“Regardez, là!” The girl hissed, nudging her friends. Albus rolled his eyes.

“Où, là?” Her friend asked.

“Non, là-bas! Là-bas! Le garçon-là.”

“Mon dieu, est-ce que c’est -?”

“Oui, c’est le fils d’Harry Potter!” They all gasped with shock.

“Bonsoir, mesdamoiselles, et bienvenue à Hogwarts.” He couldn’t help himself. The four of them blushed simultaneously before turning and rushing outside without another word. His friends glared at him as they headed towards the Slytherin common room, but for once in his life he let them.

He had a good feeling about this year, and not least because he’d already caught the eye of one of the prettiest girls in the school, he had a wonderful group of friends, and for the time being he could almost, almost forget the events of the summer and the effect it had had on his best friend. He knew he couldn’t keep ignoring it for long, but for now he just wanted to sleep peacefully in his own bed and forget about everything important for a little while.


	17. Growing Pains

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is named after the song 'growing pains' by birdy! i hope you enjoy it, and it would be absolutely wonderful if you let me know what you think :)

“Maybe one day we’ll fit back together; I’ll pick up the pieces and we’ll rearrange”

The next few weeks passed by in a blur of homework, lessons, stress, and the very occasional reprieve from it all. In Defence, though Albus still only attended grudgingly, he at last managed to form a fully-fledged Patronus, which rather surprisingly took the form of a doe. At least it wasn’t a stag, he reasoned, but Rose teased him for it anyway. The class had since moved on to non-verbal spells, and so Albus spent most of his time in class glaring at Mairi as if he were constipated.

His other lessons weren’t going much better. In Charms, what had once been one of his favourite lessons, he had only managed to get a grasp of one or two of the incantations, and even Flitwick seemed to be growing frustrated with him. Herbology was a slight relief, not least because unlike some of his classmates, Albus didn’t mind getting his hands dirty, and it was always worth being able to catch up with Professor Longbottom. Potions seemed to be the only subject he was actually making any real progress in.

For the first week after the unveiling of the Goblet of Fire, it had only been the Beauxbatons and Salem students who had put their names in the cup, which they did to the rapturous applause of their housemates. Finally, an entire week after the exchange students arrived, a Gryffindor became the first person to put their name in the cup.

Albus let out a groan that evening at dinner, when he realised that it was Emma, James’ ex-girlfriend and member of the ‘we hate Albus’ club, who was approaching the cup confidently, her blonde hair swishing. She was surrounded as usual by her group of friends, or devout followers. Albus had never quite been sure which.

As she daintily dropped the slip of paper with her name in it into the cup, the Gryffindor table erupted into rapturous applause. Several other Hogwarts students followed suit and came up to the front, placing their names into the cup to equally thunderous applause. Albus had just sighed and continued to eat in silence, relieved that none of his friends were yet of age.

Angela, who had put her own name in the cup the day after she had arrived, laughed at Albus’ sulky mood. She and her group of friends tended to sit at the Slytherin table for every mealtime, and her friends, Olivia and Nedjma, didn’t even seem to mind when she spent all of her time talking to Albus. They were always talking about all sorts of inconsequential things, from life in America to their different curriculums to food. They talked about food an awful lot, but if it made Angela happy then Albus could have talked about food all day, every day.

Unfortunately, as the weeks went by, Scorpius only seemed to get worse and worse. What little sense of humour he had at the start of the year he had lost, replaced by an almost permanent scowl and quite an unpleasant attitude. Albus had tried to speak to him on numerous occasions but he was always either dismissed, or Scorpius had vanished before he could get to him. It was as if his best friend was purposefully ignoring him.

Albus knew he had to do something about it, but the timing never seemed right. On the Saturday that the Champions' names were to be pulled from the hat, Albus decided that he had to act now, or he risked losing his friend forever. He had to get through to him, had to make him see sense, before it was too late – whatever that would be, Albus didn’t want to find out.

That Saturday started, for the most part, just like any other Hogwarts weekend did. As Albus and Marcus stumbled into the Slytherin common room, still half asleep with bleary eyes, they were taken aback to find almost the entire house crowded around a large sheet of paper on the noticeboard. Students were jostling each other and fighting over who was next to write on the mysterious paper. Albus and Marcus glanced at each other before heading over to the noticeboard with a sigh.

“Morning, boys!” Stella said brightly, giving them each a quick hug once she had she bounded eagerly over to them from the other side of the room. Albus muttered some non-committal response as he fervently wished he could be half as alert and bubbly as Stella was in the morning.

“What’s all this about?” Marcus asked, gesturing towards the noticeboard, where two First Years were coming to blows over whose quill was whose.

“Me and Astrid finally got Shacklebolt to agree to that petition! We just need 300 signatures and he says he’ll consider it!” She was practically bursting with excitement; even Albus had to smile at her infectious enthusiasm.

“Sweet!” Marcus said, giving her a high-five. Albus agreed and high-fived her too.

“You’re both gonna sign, right?” She said, fixing them with such a glare that Albus could hardly believe he’d been smiling at her only seconds before.

“Oh come on, Stella. As if we wouldn’t,” Albus said earnestly, pulling a pen from his robes. After Scorpius had given him that pen all those years ago, he’d taken to using it whenever he had the opportunity.

“How’re you going to get 300 signatures if it’s only in here?” Marcus wondered as the crowd around the petition began to subside. People were clearly in a hurry for breakfast, and Albus was pretty inclined to join them.

“Actually, there’s one in each common room, as well as one in the entrance hall. I charmed them so if one person adds their signature on one sheet, it’ll appear on all of them!” Albus grinned at his friend practically bursting with pride as he finally managed to reach the sheet and scrawl his messy signature onto it. He nodded as he realised the petition was already onto its third page; it was clearly proving very popular.

“Come on, we’d better go to breakfast; I have so much work to catch up on,” Marcus said as he finished signing his name. Albus and Stella solemnly agreed and headed down to breakfast, discussing all of the various essays they had due in the next week.

In the entrance hall, even more students were crowded around the petition. Even the Beauxbatons and Salem students were adding their signatures and wondering if Shacklebolt would let them form their own teams, to compete against Hogwarts’ four houses. Albus reckoned he might be tempted to go to a few more games if they were playing against students from different schools.

At breakfast that day, and in the library in hushed voices as they got on with their essays, talk was of nothing but Stella and Astrid’s Quidditch petition and the imminent selection of the Champions for the Triwizard Tournament. Scorpius didn’t turn up to either, and Albus considered several times going up to the Room of Requirement to see if he could find him, but then suddenly the day had escaped him and he was shuffling into the Great Hall ready to watch the Champions being chosen.

“Good evening, everybody,” Shacklebolt greeted once everybody had more or less settled down into their seats. Across the hall, Albus noticed a shock of blonde hair that was undoubtably Scorpius’, and vowed to corner him later.

“Tonight, our three Champions will be chosen – Yes, I too hope that this time it will only be three -” Kingsley paused as the students laughed and several turned to Albus, grinning at him and whispering to each other. Stella very kindly glared daggers at the perpetrators until they turned back around to mind their own business. “Now, I believe the Goblet will be ready to make its decision in just a few moments time… Any students still wishing to put their names in may take this time to do so. But be quick; once the Goblet has decided, it won’t change its mind.”

Nobody moved. The whole hall sat, staring with absolute fixation at the underwhelming wooden cup with the bright blue flames. After a few moments of bated breath and the sounds of shuffling as students began to lose their patience, the flames suddenly shot into the air, spitting out a small piece of parchment, which Shacklebolt gracefully caught between his fingers.

“Our first Champion, from Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, is Laurent Dubois.” The Beauxbatons students got to their feet, clapping thunderously and stomping their feet, as Laurent, an unassuming looking boy of slight stature and typically French features, got to his feet, beaming at his friends. He strolled casually to the front, taking everything in his stride as he shook hands with Shacklebolt and Madame Bénichou, before disappearing into the side room at the back of the hall as directed by Michael Corner, who still very much seemed to want to be anywhere but here at Hogwarts.

As soon as the door shut behind Laurent, the hall became silent and the cup began wildly shooting out flames again, until at last a piece of parchment fluttered onto the floor, its edges smouldering ever so slightly. Kingsley swept the parchment from the floor in one swift movement.

“Our second Champion, from the Salem Institute, is Olivia Bennett,” Shacklebolt announced. Olivia, who was at that moment sitting opposite Albus, seemed to take a few seconds to react to the news, before Angela nudged her and she got to her feet, brushing her fringe out of her face. Angela and Nedjma hugged her briefly before she hurried over and joined Laurent in the side room. Angela seemed rather overjoyed at the fact that she herself had not been chosen.

“Our third Champion,” Shacklebolt began as he read from the last piece of parchment, “is Samantha Davies,”

At this news, the Gryffindor table went absolutely wild, the applause so loud that Albus feared his eardrums might just burst. Samantha strolled up to the front with an easy grin across her face as she shook hands with Shacklebolt and nodded to the other two headteachers. Albus couldn’t help but grimace; Samantha was a notorious part of the group of Gryffindors that had always taunted him, though he supposed that Emma must be their leader now that Matt, James and Fred had all left. He often wondered what role James and Fred had ever really played in their escapades, especially as most of them had always involved Albus in some way.

“Before we all tuck into dinner, I have one more notice,” Shacklebolt announced over the buzz of chatter and general excitement. “You may have noticed the petitions that have gone up around school, thanks to two of our Sixth Year students. I’m as much of a fan of Quidditch as the next person, and so I’m giving you one week to get the petition up to 300 signatures and then I will consider it. Good luck.”

With a quick bow, Shacklebolt strode off the stage and went to join the Champions in the side room at the back of the hall. The second the door shut behind him, dinner appeared on the table, and so Albus eagerly tucked in to a big bowl of pasta.

“Wanna know a secret?” Angela asked, winking at Albus as she filled her own plate.

“Always,” Albus replied through a mouthful of pasta. She giggled, a tinkly, pleasant sound.

“I didn’t really want to be the Champion,” she whispered, leaning close into his ear. He could feel her breath tickling his face and he found he didn’t mind at all.

“Then why are you here?” He asked, raising an eyebrow at her. “Not that I don’t want you here of course.”

“Really, I just wanted to see what the UK was like, and this was the perfect opportunity. I mean, if I’d been picked as the Champion I would’ve done it, I have been training for it for several months, after all.” She shrugged and tucked back into her dinner. “And besides, Olivia’s wanted this for years. I’m happy for her.” She added as an afterthought.

“Well, the UK is much more than just the Scottish Highlands...” Albus said. “I mean, there’s London, where I live, and there’s loads of other places too.”

“Maybe you could show me sometime,” she suggested, grinning.

“Maybe,” Albus agreed, trying desperately to ignore the blush he just knew was rising on his cheeks. When at last he had cleared his plate, he kept an eager eye out for Scorpius, and the second Albus saw the Gryffindor get to his feet and leave the hall, he made his apologies to Angela and left without another word.

Luckily, Albus didn’t have to follow him for long. Scorpius was in the entrance hall, reading Stella and Astrid’s petition with a pensive look across his face. Just as he had signed the petition with his own pen and was turning to go, Albus cornered him.

“Scorpius, hey!” Albus called, leaning against the wall of the entrance hall with his arms crossed, trying his hardest to look all serious and earnest. He wasn’t sure he was succeeding, as it wasn’t often he took anything seriously. This, however, was beyond a doubt the most serious thing happening in his life, and he needed to sort things out, for his best friend, if not for his own peace of mind.

“Oh, hey, Al,” Scorpius said without the slightest hint of enthusiasm. He looked all frayed around the ages, to the extent that Albus could hardly bare to look at him for fear he’d fall apart himself. “I’m just going back to the Gryffindor dorm...”

“No you’re not,” Albus stated, finally daring to look him in his eyes, which at that moment were narrowed in his direction. Scorpius sighed at him and tried to walk past, but Albus had already grabbed hold of his wrist. “We’re going to talk about this, okay.”

“Talk about what?” Scorpius demanded, shaking his wrist free from Albus’ grasp but staying where he was regardless, rubbing his temples.

“You!” Albus said, crossing his arms once more and refusing to break eye contact. “What’s going on with you? You’re distant, you’re snarky, sometimes you’re just downright rude. I miss the old Scorpius,”

Scorpius flinched, his hands clenching into fists at his side. “You don’t think I miss the old Scorpius too? You don’t think I wish everything could just go back to being the way it was before?”

“Of course I do!” Albus defended. “But things are different now. And I know you’re struggling, finding it hard, but… If you could just talk it out, tell us, tell me, how you’re really feeling… We… I can help you!”

“Maybe I don’t want your help,” Scorpius said scathingly.

“You might not want it, but you need it,” Albus said softly. “Just tell me what’s on your mind, what’s going on.”

“Nothing’s going on!” He hissed, glaring accusingly at Albus.

“Please,” Albus pleaded. “I hate seeing you like this, mate. Just… Tell me what’s on your mind. I don’t know if I can help but I can bloody well try.”

“Honestly, nothing’s going on, I’m fine!” Scorpius said. Albus snorted derisively.

“Don’t go pulling any of that bullshit with me.” Albus said, glancing around to check that they were still on their own. Thankfully, dinner was still in full swing and the sounds of talk and laughter drifted out of the Great Hall. “I feel like I haven’t seen you in weeks, ever since – well, you know. And I know I should’ve come and talked to you sooner but you kept avoiding me! And now, no offence, but you look like shit. And I hate to think that’s because I wasn’t there for you.”

“Well, thanks,” Scorpius muttered grudgingly. “Always good to be told you look like shit.”

“I wouldn’t have said it if it wasn’t true! I’m worried about you. We all are. And if you won’t let any of the others in… At least tell me what’s on your mind. Please, Scor.”

“Fine,” Scorpius said. Without another word, he slid down the wall and pulled his long legs in before he wrapped his arms around them, leaning his chin on his knees with a sulky expression. Albus hesitated for a few seconds before going to join him, landing on the floor with a thump.

“So… Talk to me, what’s up?” Albus asked quietly. He was all too aware of their bodies touching in several places but he desperately tried to ignore it for the time being.

“I just… Things have been so hard, since… Since it all happened. Being at home was hard enough – my parents are terrified they’re going to be targeted next. I kept telling them it was alright, since no one in the Wizarding World knows where we live, but they’re scared, and I’m scared for them. They don’t deserve this – any of this – after everything they’ve done since the war.” Scorpius paused and took a deep breath.

“I mean,” Scorpius stuttered, “my dad’s a surgeon and my mum owns a bakery and volunteers for charity when she can! They’re the most normal, ordinary, kind people. They’ve turned their lives around so much and yet people can’t get with the times!”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Albus said. More than anything he was relieved that he had managed to make some kind of breakthrough.

“It’s also just… I feel so inadequate.” Scorpius began, biting his lip and glancing at Albus. “‘Cause they’ve both done so much and here I am, just being useless. I can’t even be a good friend at the moment and my grades are terrible so far this year and I’m so scared to let them down.”

“You’re not inadequate,” Albus said quietly. “It can be hard to live up to your parent’s legacy – trust me, I know what that’s like. But you’re your own person. Your parents don’t define who you are as a person, and you don’t have to live up to your expectations of them at all times. As for being a good friend – we can’t be perfect people all the time, right? I’m pretty sure I’m a bit of an arsehole at times, just like everyone is!”

“Thank you,” Scorpius said, the ghost of a smile playing across his face. “I just wish I could do more, be more, you know?”

“Believe me, I know,” Albus agreed. They sat in comfortable, amicable silence for a few moments, until finally, Albus asked, “Is there anything else you wanna get off your mind?”

“A million and one things,” Scorpius said with a sigh. “But I wouldn’t want to bore you.”

“Oh please, you could never bore me!” Albus scoffed. ‘I’ve put up with you for this long, haven’t I?”

“Shove off,” Scorpius said, laughing. It felt like a long time since Albus had heard him properly, genuinely laugh; not a snort of derision or some half-assed attempt at laughter. It made his heart beat just a little faster. “And yeah, I guess there are a few more things I could rant about.”

“Go ahead,” Albus said, giving his friend another encouraging smile.

“Okay, so, I’ve never had the easiest relationship with the other guys in my dorm,” Scorpius said, fiddling with his sleeves as he spoke. “For the most part they’ve just ignored me and it stung at first, but I’ve always had Rose and Astrid, and then you guys, so it never really bothered me.”

“I mean, I always thought it was just because we’re just different people – they all like Quidditch, I hate it. It’s all they talk about! I could probably talk for hours about Quidditch just from listening to their conversations all the times I couldn’t sleep. But, I don’t know – ever since we came back in September they’ve been acting all weirdly around me. Like, they’ll whisper to each other and it’ll so obviously be about me, or they’ll say things, call me ‘Death Eater’ or ‘traitor’ or they’ll just glare at me...” Scorpius trailed off, tears welling up in his eyes. Silently, Albus pulled his unused handkerchief pocket and handed it to him.

“And then there’s that group in Gryffindor, you know…” Scorpius continued, scrubbing his eyes and letting out a dry, humourless laugh. “They’ve always had something against me and I can usually deal with it, but when it’s your own dorm mates, and it’s all the time…”

Suddenly, Scorpius got to his feet, pacing agitatedly around the entrance. Albus stumbled to his feet too, glancing at his watch and realising that soon, the Beauxbatons and Salem students were going to be returning to their own little camps on the grounds of Hogwarts.

“I just… I feel like I’m falling apart...” He ran his fingers desperately through his hair, as if he were trying to reach down and tear his own skull open. Albus stopped in front of him and grabbed his hands, pulling them down forcefully so they were by his sides, staring deeply into his eyes, willing his friend to calm down.

“Then let me help you pick up the pieces,” Albus said, slowly releasing his hands. “I’m always here if you need me, okay? I’ll… I don’t know… I’ll help you get your grades back up again, make sure you’re eating and sleeping enough… Anything you need.”

“Thank you, Al,” Scorpius said, as a tear rolled down his cheek. Albus crouched down to pick up his discarded handkerchief and handed it back to him, silently. “It’s just impossible to be in the same dorm as them, I can’t sleep for fear they’re going to do something – which is completely unfounded and unreasonable, of course,”

“No, it’s not unreasonable at all – but we have three beds spare in our dorm now, so… If you ever want a break from it all, I’m sure Marcus won’t mind. And you deserve a good night’s sleep for once.” Albus smiled at Scorpius and, before he could protest, had him wrapped up in a hug. He fought back vehemently for a few seconds before relaxing into Albus' body and wrapping his arms around his torso. Albus felt his heartbeat speed up and prayed that Scorpius couldn’t feel it, too.

They stayed like that for a few seconds until people began pouring out of the hall and into the entrance. Scorpius pulled away as if burned as students walked past, eyeing the pair curiously. After all, no one had really seen the pair together before today, even if they were both well-known to the exchange students, for very different reasons.

“I’m glad I could help,” Albus said quietly as, in the distance, he saw Angela leaving the hall with Nedjma. She spotted him immediately and jogged over, beaming at him. “Oh, hey Angela.”

“Hey, Al!” She grinned. “Who’s this?”

“Oh, this is Scorpius – my best friend,” he gestured to his friend, who smiled a very strained attempt at a polite smile. He glanced down to the floor, fiddling with his sleeves.

“Scorpius Malfoy?” She asked, raising an eyebrow. “Well, it’s nice to meet you. Anyway, Al, Marcus and Stella were talking about this Hogsmeade, is it? This Hogsmeade visit, and I was wondering… Do you fancy going with me?”

“Like, on a date?” Albus stared at her, dumbfounded, for a few seconds, before he came to his senses, as she giggled at the expression on his face. “Of course, it’ll be lovely. It’s the only completely Wizarding village in Britain, you know?”

“Oh, yeah, Stella mentioned that. But yay! It’s gonna be awesome!” She enthused, her brown eyes twinkling in the light, before she enveloped him in a hug with such a force that he found himself pressed against the wall, the air knocked out of his lungs. He didn’t mind, though, and wrapped an arm around her waist briefly before she let go, blushing.

“Where’d your friend go?” She asked, glancing around. Albus thought he saw a shock of distinctive blonde hair disappearing up the stairs, but he just shrugged.

“I think he had homework to do...” Albus explained. “And so do I, actually. I’ll see you around, yeah?”

“Sure,” She said, as Nedjma called her over, a look of frustration on her face. The Salem students had a strict curfew to stick to, which Albus knew would come into place in just a matter of seconds. “Oh, gotta go! Bye!”

Before she turned to leave, she kissed him lightly on the cheek, leaving Albus standing there, somehow even more dumbfounded than before. As she reached the double doors that would take her outside, she turned and winked at him, shaking him from his reverie. Albus walked back to the dorm in a daze, absently touching the spot on his cheek where Angela’s lips had been only moments before.

As he strolled through corridors and down staircases, he thought of Scorpius, fervently hoping that what he had said had been enough, that the seriousness of the situation had gotten through to his friend, that he realised just how far down his downward spiral had taken him. Albus knew it might be a long time before he got the old Scorpius back, the Scorpius who could laugh and joke freely without a care in the world, the Scorpius who didn’t beat himself up over every little thing or let every little word get to him, but he knew he’d be willing to go to the other side of the world and back to help him, to make him feel just a little better, even if it may have been superficial, even if was just for a little while.


	18. Rather Be

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is the first part of a three chapter sequence i like to call 'the longest day'. this particular chapter is named after the song 'rather be' by clean bandit. i hope you enjoy it!

“It’s easy being with you, sacred simplicity”

The morning of October 31st dawned bright and reasonably early, bathing Hogwarts in a soft, golden glow. Albus was woken from his slumber by the rays of sunlight filtering through his curtains and into his bed, making colours and lights dance behind his eyes. At the sounds of shuffling from the bed next to his, he let out a groan and pulled himself into a sitting position with a great amount of effort, rubbing at the sleep that had gathered in his eyes.

He pulled the curtains back completely and somehow managed to get to his feet, muscles protesting as he stretched and yawned widely. Sitting on the windowsill, already fully dressed with a book in his hands, one Albus was sure he recognised from Muggle Studies, was Scorpius Malfoy.

“Morning, Scor,” he said, yawning once again. This wasn’t the first time Scorpius had come down to the Slytherin dorm to sleep after the boys in his own dorm had given him a hard time. He’d shown up two or three times already, close to midnight or shortly thereafter. On each occasion there had been traces of tears on his face, but Albus never mentioned it, and Scorpius never brought it up, so they continued to ignore it.

“Morning, Al,” Scorpius replied, turning over the page of the floppy, clearly well-loved paperback in his hands. Albus smiled at him; after a few weeks of getting decent amounts of sleep and having Albus more or less breathe down his neck while he ate, Scorpius looked a great deal happier and healthier. Over the past few weeks, Albus and Scorpius had become almost inseparable, and Albus truly hoped he was doing the right thing for his friend and was helping him out.

After the frenzied exhaustion of the first few weeks of term, something had finally clicked in Albus’ mind one night while frantically trying to write a Charms essay, and he found that, for the most part, he actually understood what in Merlin’s name was happening. He was even beginning to enjoy Defence, especially after he’d been among the first in the class to successfully hex his partner using a non-verbal spell. Of course, hexing Mairi had also been a little satisfying, but he would never admit that to anybody else.

Whenever he was not with Scorpius, which was admittedly not much of the time, he was with Angela. Quite often she and her friends would join Albus and his group at the Gryffindor table, ignoring the complaints of the Beauxbatons students who were forced to move along to make room. Albus wasn’t quite sure yet if he would consider Angela his girlfriend, but it was obvious that they liked each other. They also spent a lot of time outside revising together, until eventually autumn began to take hold and they were forced to move inside to the library.

With everything that was going on, Albus felt like he was neglecting his two best friends. Stella spent most of her free time with Jasper, and far too often Albus had stumbled across them making out in some secluded corner of the castle. Thankfully Albus had never been with Marcus when this had happened, but he feared that one day he would be, and he dreaded to think what speeches he would have to endure when it did.

At times it felt like the little trio that he had loved and cherished throughout his years at Hogwarts was on the verge of breaking apart, thanks to an untimely mix of exams, relationships, and stress. The three of them still spent Saturday afternoons together in the library, as well as most evenings in the dorm, but somehow it didn’t feel enough. Albus resolutely refused to let anything get in the way of their friendship, despite the feelings his friends still clearly felt for each other.

Today, however, Albus hoped to be able to ignore his friends for a little while and spend time with Angela, as it was the first Hogsmeade visit of the year, and he had agreed to go with her, after all. Glancing out of the window, which today seemed to show the view from his Muggle Studies classroom, Albus grumbled at the thin layer of frost which turned the grounds of Hogwarts a ghostly pale green and grudgingly pulled on a jumper to go underneath his robes. It was one of the jumpers his Grandma Weasley had knitted for him; emerald green to match his eyes, with a white A stitched onto the back. It was one of his favourite possessions.

“Ready for breakfast?” Scorpius asked, pulling himself to his feet and leaving the book discarded on the windowsill. It seemed rather inevitable that he would be returning at some point.

“Ready for coffee,” Albus replied, searching for his wand which had become lost among the folds of his bedsheets and shoving it into his pocket before he inevitably forgot all about it.

“I wouldn’t have expected anything else from you,” Scorpius said with a chuckle. Albus reached over to his bed and pulled his pillow from it, aiming it directly at his best friend’s head. Scorpius ducked just in time, and the pillow sailed across the room to hit Marcus, who had just gotten to his feet with a sleepy yawn, square in the torso.

“Good morning to you too, Albus,” Marcus said, throwing the pillow back to him with a condescending eye roll. In a few moments, the three of them were ready to go, and they headed down to breakfast together. Walking through the common room, Scorpius’ presence attracted more than a few open-mouthed stares, but he resolutely ignored them all, his jaw clenched.

Breakfast at the Ravenclaw table, where they had all gathered that morning as it was the only table with enough room for all of them, was spent half-heartedly discussing their plans for Hogsmeade. After three years of visiting the sleepy village, it had lost most of excitement, but none of its charm or appeal.

“Bonjour, mademoiselle,” Albus glanced up from his toast and mug of coffee to see Laurent, the Beauxbatons champion, hovering above Rose, who grimaced.

“Oh, good morning, Laurent,” she said in an unconvincing tone of voice.

“I was just wondering, if you would like to come to Hogsmeade with me today?” He inquired, apparently unaffected by her chilly reception.

“Right, uh -” She glanced around the table frantically, “I’d love to, but I promised I’d go with, uh, Rae today.”

“I’m going with Javier, sorry,” Rae said, smiling sheepishly as Rose glared daggers at her.

“Of course you are, how could I have forgotten?” She said sharply, her brows furrowed in obvious frustration. At that exact moment, Lily swanned up to the table, greeting Rose like an old friend she hadn’t seen in years.

“Rose!” She exclaimed, in a posh accent that was not at all like her own, before flouncing into the seat beside hers with an exaggerated sigh. “Why, it’s been so very long! I simply demand that you come to Hogsmeade with me today, we really must catch up!”

“Lily!” Rose beamed, reaching over and embracing her quickly. Albus couldn’t miss the quick ‘thank you’ she whispered into Lily’s ear before she released her and continued, “I’m so sorry, Laurent, but Lily’s my cousin, see, and it would be a great shame if I were to miss a day reacquainting myself with her because I was with you! Perhaps next time?”

“Of course,” he grinned, as if unaware that he had just been thoroughly rejected. “I will hold you to that. Have a nice day, ma chérie.”

“Merlin’s saggy y-fronts,” Rose muttered as he and his posse of Beauxbatons boys strolled over to the Gryffindor table. Upon realising that everyone in the group was trying their hardest to conceal their laughter, shoulders shaking, she sighed and cracked a smile herself. The mood lightened immediately as Laurent glanced back at their table, frowning at the group. It only made them laugh harder.

With breakfast out of the way, the group of them headed down to the carriages. Albus ended up with Marcus, which was fine by him, as well as Stella and Jasper. Marcus spent the entire journey gazing listlessly out into the Scottish wilderness as his friends made out in front of him. After a little while desperately trying not to look at his two friends kissing, Albus joined him.

Once in the village, the eleven of them gathered outside Honeyduke’s to stock up on their supplies of sweets. Scorpius kindly bought a liquorice wand for Albus, who realised quickly that he had completely neglected to bring any of his money with him. He wondered what he would do when he was with Angela, but then he reasoned that he could simply cross that bridge when he came to it.

“So,” Albus began as he and Scorpius loitered outside the sweet shop, their friends arguing around them about where to go next. “I’m surprised you didn’t enter the Triwizard Tournament.”

“As if I would,” Scorpius scoffed as Albus took a bite of his liquorice wand. “And anyway, I was too young, my birthday’s October 15th...”

“October 15th?” Albus exclaimed, though it was a little hard to understand through the mouthful of food. He swallowed, then continued, “We missed your birthday! Your seventeenth birthday!”

“Oh, it’s no big deal...” Scorpius said with a nonchalant shrug.

“Not a big deal?” Albus demanded. “Merlin, I feel like the worst best friend ever… I should’ve gotten you a present, a card, organised a party… Anything!”

“It’s fine, honestly, I never make a big fuss out of,” Scorpius said, grinning at him.

“But you’re of age now! And you never even told us!” Albus exclaimed.

“Well, Muggles come of age at eighteen, so maybe we can celebrate next year,” Scorpius suggested. “When’s your birthday?”

“December 19th,” Albus grumbled. “Much too close to Christmas.”

Before Albus could get another word out, Angela and her group of friends approached them. After a sharp glare from Angela, her friends backed away, giggling. Scorpius winked at Albus before sidling off to join the group, who were somehow still arguing about where to go next.

“Liv and Nedjma want to do a bit of exploring, so I was wondering if you wanted to meet up for lunch or something?” She said, her cheeks tinged with pink. She twirled a long, dark curl absently in her finger as she smiled at him expectantly.

“Uh...” Albus said with as much eloquence as ever, before shaking himself and managing to regain his composure, “Sure, that would be lovely.”

“Awesome, I’ll meet you at half twelve...” She trailed off, glancing around.

“Outside the Three Broomsticks?” Albus asked, running a hand through his hair to pull it out of his eyes. He really should have taken his mum’s advice and gone for a haircut.

“I don’t know where that is, but sure,” Angela seemed to practically brim with excitement, her eyes twinkling in the morning light. Miraculously, the sky was clear, and Albus had the distinct feeling that anything was possible today, that he was on the verge of something great, hanging over the precipice.

“No doubt you’ll find it… Hogsmeade is by no means the biggest village ever,” Albus said. Angela smiled and nodded before returning to her two still giggling friends. She glanced back over her shoulder as they dragged her away towards the shrieking shack, waving sympathetically at him.

With a quick, rather pathetic wave in her direction, Albus shuffled back over to the group, who were still in the midst of arguing about where to go. He rolled his eyes; they had this debate every time they came to Hogsmeade, and they always, without fail, ended up at the Three Broomsticks. However, someone was always insistent that they go somewhere else, and so the argument raged on.

Not long later, Stella was dragging Jasper into Madame Puddifoot’s, and Rae had met up with Javier, a Ravenclaw in their year, and one of the boys from Salem, who went with Heather. That left just the seven of them.

“Well,” Rose said, glaring at Astrid, “I suppose you and Kofi will want to go off and do your own thing, too,”

“Actually...” Astrid began, smiling sheepishly. “We were hoping to go to Zonko’s...”

“Fine, go!” Rose said, raising her arms in frustration as Astrid and Kofi backed away slowly, as if afraid. Rose smiled sweetly at them as they finally turned a corner, but her eyes were narrowed.

“Who peed in your cornflakes?” Albus asked, taking a last bite of his liquorice wand before shoving the remainder into his pocket.

“Nobody,” She muttered. “It just feels like you’re all in relationships and I’m just forever going to be the lonely, single spinster with nobody but Laurent bloody Dubois to show me affection.”

“Well, neither me, Scorpius, nor Marcus are in relationships,” Haruko pointed out, pushing her glasses up her nose as she did whenever she spoke.

“Who knows, next time we’re here maybe you or Marcus will be together! Or you and Scorpius!” She sighed, crossing her arms with frustration. “Come on, let’s just go to the Three Broomsticks.”

Silently, they followed her into the warm and homely pub, finding seats on a row of benches near the hearth. None of them were willing to speak unless they upset Rose even more; she sat with her brows furrowed, staring into the fire.

“You can all talk to me, you know?” She said. “I don’t bite.”

“Could’ve fooled me,” Scorpius muttered, letting out a sharp exhale of breath as she jabbed him in the ribcage with her elbow.

“Guys, can’t we all just try to have a nice time?” Albus implored.

“Easy for you to say,” Rose said. “Mr. ‘I have a perfect American girlfriend and my life is going great’.”

“Yeah, I guess it is going pretty great,” Albus said smugly, leaning back against the wall. All things considered, his life really was going pretty smoothly. If his friends stopped bickering every once in a while, it might be a little smoother, but for the time being, as he sat in the Three Broomsticks, warm and content with a butterbeer in his hand, it was easy to forget all of his worries and just let his friends’ conversation wash over him.

When Albus glanced at his wristwatch and realised that it was only five minutes until he was meant to be meeting Angela, he leapt to his feet, fumbling about in his robes for something he didn’t have.

“Shit, I can’t believe I forgot my wallet, I’m such an idiot,” he said, glancing anxiously towards the door.

“Here,” Scorpius said with pursed lips, handing him three galleons. It was more than enough for a hearty pub lunch and a drink or two.

“Thank you so much. I owe you one!” Albus said, grinning.

“You owe me three, actually,” Scorpius said with his trademark sarcastic smirk. Albus glared at him briefly before heading to the doors.

“Enjoy your date!” Rose called, in a voice that suggested she hoped he did anything but. He flipped her the bird before ducking outside, where Angela and her friends were standing, heads close together.

"Albus, hey!" She called, waving him over. She looked like the absolute epitome of beauty to Albus, in a floral dress reminiscent of the last vestiges of summer, a grey knitted cardigan, and her hair pulled back into a ponytail that tumbled down her back and framed her face perfectly. "I'll see you guys later, yeah?"

As Albus approached, Olivia and Nedjma skulked away, eying him curiously. He winked at them and they giggled before ducking into Madame Puddifoot's. Before he could get another word in, Angela had reached up and laced her fingers around his neck, and he was being kissed like her life depended on it. After a few seconds of rather vigorous kissing, Angela pulled away, seemingly unfazed by all the strange glances they were receiving.

"Come on, let's go get lunch," she said brightly as she took his hand and pulled him back into the pub. "I've never had a Sunday roast, can we try one of those?"

They quickly settled into a booth near the back of the pub, from which Albus could plainly see his friends. Rose pouted as they sat down before turning to Marcus and ignoring her cousin. Marcus gave him a thumbs-up when Angela wasn't looking, too busy shrugging off her cardigan. Scorpius just looked slightly ill, but he usually did anyway, so Albus thought nothing more of it.

Soon, the pair of them were deep in conversation, discussing their childhoods, their plans for the future, and other big things like that. Angela clapped her hands appreciatively when her Sunday roast arrived. Albus just grumbled something about it not actually being a Sunday and tucked happily into his own shepherd's pie.

As the afternoon drifted slowly by, and members of Albus' group began to shuffle into the pub in groups of one or two to join them by the hearth, Albus couldn't help but feel that Scorpius' eyes were on him from across the room. Every time he glanced up to ascertain whether or not Scorpius really was staring at him, however, he was looking in a completely different direction or deep in conversation with somebody else, leading Albus to believe he might possibly be going crazy.

While he was talking to Angela, he began to plan a surprise party for Scorpius in his head. It wasn't that he wasn't enjoying talking to Angela, it was just that he really felt his best friend deserved a party, and some time to just relax and wind down and drink a bit too much alcohol.

A little while later, Angela announced her intention to leave, as she and the other Salem students had essays to work on and wanted to walk back to the castle first. By that time, Albus had already more or less planned the party, down to the minutest of details.

"Oh, before you go," Albus began. "We're having a party tonight, in the old Transfiguration classroom on the third floor on the east wing – uh, the second floor for you, I guess."

Angela positively beamed at him. "That sounds wonderful! Can I bring Liv and Nedjma along, too?"

"Bring as many people as you like!" Albus said as he leaned in and kissed her chastely on the cheek. "But not too many, it's not a huge classroom."

"Oh please, all my other friends are back at Salem!" Angela said. "Not to brag, but I'm pretty popular."

"I'm sure you are," Albus said, grinning as she leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips; not as forceful as the kiss she'd given him earlier, but it definitely suggested that this wouldn't be the last kiss they'd be having, not by any means. After a few moments of slightly elevated heart rates and fingers tangled in hair they parted, gazing into each others eyes.

"Well, I'll see you later," Angela said, and with one last kiss on his forehead she parted, not even glancing back at him. After staring dreamily into the space she had departed for longer than he would have cared to admit, Albus shook himself back to his senses and went back to join his friends on the bench, sliding into an empty space in the middle, in between Rose and Stella.

"Where's Scorpius?" He asked, glancing around the table and realising his friend was nowhere to be seen.

"Oh, I think he just went to Scrivenshaft's to pick up some supplies," Rose said, taking a long sip of her butterbeer.

"Good," Albus said, a glint in his eyes. "Because I have a plan."

"Here we go again..." Rose said, sighing dramatically.

"No, this is a good plan," Albus insisted. "Scorpius' birthday was a couple of weeks ago, right? Well, I thought that tonight, we could throw him a surprise birthday party!"

"Ooh, I love a good party!" Rae interjected. Albus realised the whole table was leaning in and listening attentively. "Me and Heather could make a banner for him, if you want?"

"That's a great idea!" Albus enthused. "It's going to be held in that old Transfiguration classroom on the third floor. I can use the Map to make sure we aren't going to get caught."

Rose tutted disapprovingly at that, but added, "I'll keep him distracted for the next few hours, make sure he gets to the party on time?"

Albus grinned; this was shaping up to be an excellent evening.

"Me and Astrid can bring the drinks," Kofi said, with a wink in his girlfriend's direction. Astrid nodded smugly; the pair of them always seemed to know where the best drinks were to be kept. "Not just alcohol, don't look at us like that!"

"If you're bringing drinks, then Marcus and I can bring the food," Haruko said. "I'm assuming you know where the kitchens are, Marcus?"

"What? Of course I do!" Marcus said. "I'm surprised you Ravenclaws haven't worked it out yet. Anyway, what are Stella and Jasper doing?"

Everyone turned to look at the two of them, who were flirting less than surreptitiously at the end of the bench. Upon realising that everyone's eyes were on them, they coughed awkwardly and parted, their cheeks red.

"Well?" Marcus asked, glaring at the pair of them.

"Well what?" Stella replied, confused.

"What are you bringing to Scorpius' surprise party?" Albus interjected.

"Oh...Well, I have a kickass wizarding wireless that I may have tweaked a little. I could bring that." Jasper suggested, grinning at Stella. "Bring some noise to this party."

"Fantastic. I think we have everything sorted." Albus said.

"What time do you want me to bring Scorpius?" Rose asked, glancing at the door to make sure he hadn't come in yet.

"Half eight? That gives us time to have dinner and set things up in the classroom," Albus suggested. Everyone nodded and returned to their own conversations. A few moments later, Scorpius breezed into the pub, a paper bag full to the brim in his hands. Everyone went silent at his entrance, then slowly took up their conversations once again as he approached the table, squeezing into the space next to Albus.

"Hey, Albus," he said, shoving the paper bag into his already stuffed satchel bag. "Did I miss anything?"

"Oh, nothing interesting," Albus replied nonchalantly.

"Cool, 'cause I was wondering if you could help me with this Charms essay, I just don't quite get the hang of the wand movement." Scorpius pulled a wad of parchment and a pen out of his bag, dumping the lot onto the table. The pair of them worked almost in silence, as Albus drew diagrams and whispered incantations and just let himself enjoy being in the presence of his best friend.

"Okay, I think I get the hang of it now." Scorpius said, as he whispered the incantation himself and grinned as the mugs of butterbeer on the table sprang to life and began piling themselves on top of each other, ready to be taken away and cleaned by the barmaid. Stella glared at Albus as she reached halfway across the table to retrieve her mug of butterbeer, still half full. Albus smiled back at her sheepishly.

"Come on, we'd better go back, I don't want to miss dinner." Rose said, winking at Albus when she was certain that Scorpius wasn't looking, as he was preoccupied with pulling his robes on. In short order, the eleven of them were heading back to Hogwarts. They had decided to walk, as the weather was still rather pleasant, if a little chilly.

Seeing Scorpius' new upbeat attitude as they walked and talked and laughed about every little thing on their minds, Albus absolutely couldn't wait for the party that evening. The knowledge of it weighed heavy in his stomach and rested on the tip of his tongue, desperate to be spoken, but he kept silent, buzzing with anticipation.


	19. Sleepwalking

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is named after the song 'sleepwalking' by summer camp. as will soon become quite clear, they're my favourite band, and rather a lot of chapters are named after their songs. enjoy!

“Let’s keep it simple, just you and me”

“Where is he?” Albus wondered aloud, glancing at his watch. The time was now quarter to nine; fifteen minutes after Rose promised she would be here with Scorpius. Glancing around the room, the sight of everyone laughing, dancing, drinking and just having a good time made his heart soar. The usual group was there, along with the girls from Salem and a couple of Lily’s friends who had turned up after Albus had invited his sister, since she and Scorpius had appeared to be getting along rather well lately.

“He’ll turn up, I’m sure,” Stella said sympathetically, as she sorted through Jasper’s music collection in search of the best songs for the party. Everything was perfect; Stella and Jasper had set up his speaker system on the teacher’s desk, while a couple of old, worn desks had been shoved to the side and filled with all kinds of snacks and drinks pilfered from the kitchens. Along one wall hung the banner, expertly made by Rae and Heather, glittering silver in the light and proclaiming ‘Happy Birthday Scorpius!’ in colour-changing fluorescent letters.

Everything was perfect, and all that was needed was Scorpius to arrive with Rose.

“Come on, it’s really cool, I promise,” Rose’s hurried voice drifted into the room and everybody immediately went completely silent. Albus stood on his tiptoes in anticipation.

“And you had to drag me all this way to see it?” Scorpius complained, dragging his feet by the sounds of it. “You’re such a loser.”

“You’re the real loser here,” Rose said, laughing. “Just come in, okay?”

“Alright but only because you forced me to – what the fu-” Rose had yanked the door open at last and shoved Scorpius inside. His eyes went wide with shock and his sentence was left hanging as people began to scream ‘Happy birthday!” and let off an array of party poppers and small fireworks.

“Was this your idea?” Scorpius demanded as he stormed up to Albus and pressed his face close to his, his grey eyes wild like a tempest, brimming with tears and anger. Behind Albus, the cheering slowly died down.

“Um...” Albus began, gulping. “Yeah. It was.”

“I told you I didn’t want a party!” Scorpius said, throwing his arms up into the air as if in despair and turning to leave as the guests eyed him in awkward silence.

“Well, tough, ‘cause you’ve got one.” Albus said, grasping hold of his friend’s hand from midair and spinning him around so they were face to face again. Albus almost couldn’t look him in the eye as he continued, “All these people have gone to a lot of effort to create this, so just let yourself enjoy it and quit whining.”

“Oh, come on, Albus,” Scorpius whined, glancing over at Rose who just shrugged at him and slammed the door forcefully shut.

“Just stay for one drink,” Albus suggested, grabbing a bottle and pressing it into Scorpius’ hand, the one he had just let go of. “Or even a few more. If you feel like it. You never know.”

“Fine,” Scorpius agreed with a grudging expression as he took a big swig of his drink. Albus nodded in Stella and Jasper’s direction and they flicked a switch, sending the heavy bass beat of a popular Muggle song reverberating through the room. Marcus could complain about Jasper all he liked, and with good reason, but he couldn’t possibly fault his and Stella’s collective music taste.

Albus watched Scorpius cautiously out of the corner of his eye as people went up to congratulate him, wishing him a belated happy birthday. All the while, he talked to Angela, sipping inconspicuously on a glass of orange juice. After the last time he had been drunk around Scorpius, he wasn’t entirely sure he could trust himself to drink. All he did know was that Angela was right there in front of him, and he really did like her, and most of all he didn’t wish to make a fool of himself in front of her.

In fact, at least for a little while, the party couldn’t possibly have gone any more smoothly. Albus and Angela were getting even better acquainted than they had been before, as talking to her felt almost effortless. Not as effortless as talking to Scorpius, of course, but due to their drastically different upbringings and perspectives on the Wizarding world, they had endless topics to work their way through. Despite this, there was a lingering suspicion in the back of Albus’ mind that something would go wrong, and it didn’t take long for his mind to be proved right.

“What the hell is your problem?” Scorpius’ voice cut through all of the music and the conversation. Albus turned around, shocked, to see Scorpius having a go at Olivia Bennett, Angela’s best friend and the Triwizard Champion for Salem. She had her arms thrown out in front of her in exasperation, an unreadable expression across her face. “Do you know me? No! So don’t go making assumptions that you can’t back up!”

Albus whispered a hurried “Sorry!” in Angela’s ear before he rushed over to intervene. The room, which seconds before had been brimming with teenagers laughing and dancing and generally having a good time, had come to a complete standstill. The blasting music just felt gaudy and hollow in the awkward silence.

“Scor, what in Merlin’s name are you doing?” Albus demanded angrily, grabbing his best friend’s wrist and pulling him away from Olivia, who now looked to be on the verge of tears. Scorpius hastily shook his arm free and glared at her from a few metres away, his cheeks bright red and his eyes livid. He took a deep breath, but it seemed to do nothing to calm him down.

“You know what? Forget about it.” Scorpius muttered, shooting one last angry glare in Olivia’s direction before storming out of the classroom, slamming the door shut behind him. Everyone awkwardly met eyes across the classroom as conversations slowly began to start up again. Angela, Olivia, and Nedjma were in the corner of the room, whispering amongst themselves, no doubt about what had just happened.

“I’m going to go see if he’s alright,” Rose announced, patting Albus on the shoulder. Albus could tell from the hard expression on her face that she wasn’t best pleased with Scorpius or his erratic behaviour.

“No, I’ll go,” Albus said, taking a step towards the door. “This stupid party was my idea after all.”

“The party isn’t stupid, Al.” Lily said, appearing suddenly at Rose’s side. “But I agree. You should go talk to him.”

Albus nodded once at his sister and briefly ruffled her hair before strolling out of the room, nerves steeled for whatever might be about to happen as he glanced up and down the corridor in search of some possible sign of where his friend had gone to. Thankfully, he didn’t have far to look, as after taking a few cautious steps to his left, he heard the distinct sounds of somebody crying. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him to the source of the noise, where he found Scorpius curled up in a stairwell, shoulders hunched as he sobbed into his hands.

“Scor, are you alright?” Albus asked as he knelt down, trying to look up into his friend’s face, obscured as it was by his hands.

“Don’t bother,” Scorpius said thickly, his breath hitching as he tried not to burst into a fresh set of tears. “Just leave me alone. I wish everybody would just leave me alone.”

“That’s not going to happen,” Albus said in as gentle a tone of voice as possible. “I’m your best friend, and that means I’m not just going to let you be upset.”

“You’re a bit bloody late,” he responded, wiping his nose on the back of his sleeve and then sighing at himself as if with disgust. Albus finally got a good look at his face and was horrified by the broken look he saw there, as well as his swollen, red-rimmed eyes. He reached into his pocket and pulled out one of the crumpled tissues he carried with him at all times, handing it to Scorpius wordlessly.

“Talk to me.” Albus said once Scorpius had finished blowing his nose and messily mopping up his tears. The sound resonated loudly through the deserted corridor like a foghorn, and Albus almost had to resist the urge to giggle. He would have, if things hadn’t been so startlingly unfunny. “I’ll try to understand.”

“It’s just like – like – like no one ever really tries to know me,” Scorpius began, his hands trembling almost imperceptibly. “I know I’ve got you and Rose and Astrid and I’m beyond grateful but I just feel like they all have other friends as well. Rose is really good friends with Stella and Haruko and Astrid just started going out with Kofi and they’re both friends with all the girls in their dorm whereas the guys in my dorm can barely stand to be around me. And then there’s you – I know you don’t think you’re all that popular but you really are. Even the guys in my dorm admire you, like they can forget that you’re a Slytherin, but they can’t forget that I’m a Malfoy, even after more than five years.”

“I mean, I might be popular,” Albus began, shuffling into the space on the stairwell next to Scorpius and wrapping his arms around him in what he assumed was a friendly, comforting way. When he wasn’t immediately shrugged off, he continued, “but it’s all just superficial. They like me because of my last name, not because they actually know me. If they did, they’d probably just agree that I’m a massive loser. And hey, don’t for a second think you’re not popular. I suggested this party offhandedly in Hogsmeade this afternoon and everyone jumped on the idea. They were all super eager to make sure you had a great birthday party. They wouldn’t have done that if they didn’t consider you a friend.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Scorpius agreed, wriggling his way out of Albus’ grasp, his cheeks red, presumably from the tears. “Yeah, no, you’re right. I just need to pull my head out my arse and realise that not everybody is how I make them out to be.”

“Glad to hear it!” Albus said, smiling at him. “Now, what was all that about back there?”

“Oh, well, we were just talking and I kind of mentioned my last name and she made some offhand comment that looking back wasn’t really all that bad. Maybe I was just looking for a fight?” Scorpius shrugged and scrubbed at his eyes one last time before shoving the tissues into his robes and nodding to himself. He ran his hands through his hair a couple of times to give it the same rumpled look that Albus’ had just by getting out of bed, before getting to his feet in a determined manner.

“Ready to go back inside and continue celebrating your birthday?” Albus asked as he clambered unsteadily to his feet. “It is your party, after all.”

“I think I am,” Scorpius said, heading back towards the Transfiguration classroom and leaving Albus to run pathetically after him. “And I promise not to be such a git.”

“I may have to hold you to that,” Albus joked as Scorpius held the door open for him and the two of them stepped inside. Luckily, the party was back in full swing, though several eyes regarded them curiously as they entered.

Soon, Albus and Angela were talking again, comparing their Potions curriculums, until suddenly Angela gasped and grabbed Albus’ shoulder, pointing emphatically at a space on the other side of the room. Scorpius was there, lips locked with Olivia, his arms entwined around her waist as he pressed her against the wall. Albus rolled his eyes and ignored the peculiar pang of something he couldn’t quite identify in his stomach – irritation, most likely.

Seconds later, Rose, who had been talking to Marcus, marched over to Scorpius and yanked him forcefully away from Olivia, who simple scowled at her and went to join Nedjma at the drinks table. Angela sent an apologetic look Albus’ way before rushing over to whisper with them once again. Albus wasn't sure if this night would ever be over.

Without further ado, Rose grabbed Scorpius’ arm and pulled him out of the room, barely hesitating as she pulled the bottle of firewhisky from his hands and placed it haphazardly onto the nearest desk. Just before slamming the door shut, she gave Albus a pointed look. He couldn’t help but wonder what the hell was going on.

Feeling unbearably awkward standing there in the middle of the room, Albus went to join Stella and Marcus, who had begun whispering fervently together the second they had caught sight of Scorpius and Olivia together. Albus spared a glance for Jasper, who was watching the pair with an expression that could only be described as extreme jealousy.

“What do you reckon that’s all about?” Stella asked, eyes shining with glee as she grasped his arm dramatically. She seemed more than a little tipsy.

“Not a bloody clue,” Albus said with a shrug as he surveyed the room, sighing as he spotting Lily approaching.

“I think Rose wants you to join her,” Lily said, grinning up at him.

“Don’t you have your own friends to bother?” He asked, rolling his eyes at her.

“Nah, they’re too busy discovering the joys of alcohol for the first time.” Lily nodded in the direction of a desk at the back of the room where two of her friends sat, staring queasily into space.

“Right, well, in that case I’d better go see if everything’s alright,” Albus said.

“Tell us everything!” Marcus said with an uncharacteristic giggle. Beside him, Stella collapsed in fits of laughter, clutching Marcus’ arm now for support. Lily looked utterly horrified by the whole display.

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t,” Albus said, winking at his sister as he turned to leave. She stuck her tongue out at him, but he didn’t get to see more than that as he was already at the door, heart pounding nervously in his chest as wondered what he would be faced with upon leaving the room. This evening had already been far more eventful than he’d been anticipating.

All he had wanted was a simple party for his friend’s birthday, and instead Scorpius had spent the evening shouting and crying and kissing pretty American girls.

“You broke my promise, I see,” Albus observed as he shut the door behind him and realised Rose and Scorpius were right there in front of him. They appeared to have reached something of an impasse. Rose had her arms crossed and her lips pursed as she leaned casually against the wall; after seventeen years, Albus had learned never to cross Rose when she had that look across her face.

Scorpius’ face crumpled suddenly, as if the weight of the evening and the alcohol and all of the bad decisions he had made had finally dawned on him. His shoulders slumped as he began to pace anxiously up and down the hallway as Rose and Albus watched him with shared looks of concern.

“Yep, I broke your stupid promise! I ruined your stupid party that I never even wanted in the first place!” Scorpius said, continuing to pace.

“Scorpius!” Rose chastised, “How the hell is that any way to talk to your best friend?” She moved to place one hand on her hip, running the other through her mass of auburn curls. Albus just stood awkwardly by the door, wishing he could do something, anything, to diffuse the tension. From the way Scorpius stopped in his tracks, facing away from them, his shoulders shaking, Albus could tell that he was trying his hardest not to just burst into a fresh set of tears.

“Scor, it’s alright,” Albus said, taking a step forward and placing a steady hand on Scorpius’ very unsteady shoulder. “Come on, let’s go back to my dorm.”

Scorpius nodded slightly, so Albus slung his arm around his shoulder, squeezing it.

“Can you tell Angela where I’ve gone?” Albus asked Rose, who simply rolled her eyes at him before disappearing back into the classroom, the heavy bass line drifting out around her.

“I’m sorry,” Scorpius whispered as they headed towards the dorms. Albus just shrugged, unsure of what else could possibly said. They continued on in silence, through corridors and down hallways. Scorpius, as a prefect, knew where they would be doing their rounds, and so their walk was blissfully quiet, until -

“What do you think you’re doing out of your dorms at this time?” A commanding voice cut through the familiar silence. Albus glanced up and stumbled to a halt in shock.

“James?” He asked, peering at him. He looked proud and imposing in his Auror robes, though the glint in his eyes and the easy grin across his face gave the game away, “What the fuck are you doing here?”

“Language, little brother,” James admonished, though half-heartedly. “I’m here as part of my training. Have been for a few weeks now. I’m amazed I haven’t bumped into you or Lily yet, but then I have been trying my best to keep out of the way. It would be a lot easier with the map… Which you clearly haven’t been using, have you?”

“Uh, no,” Albus replied, still almost too shocked to speak. Unwillingly, he let go of his hold on Scorpius’ shoulder and let his hand fall back down to his side. “I haven’t really had the time.”

“Pah, time! They’re only N.E.W.Ts, you know?” James shrugged and took his wand from his pocket, inspecting it.

“Yeah, for you maybe,” Albus said, rolling his eyes. “How’s Auror training going, anyway?”

“Oh, yeah, it’s great. I just love getting up at 5am every morning and having to return to Hogwarts – I’m still mad at you for not entering the Triwizard Tournament, by the way, I would have loved to live vicariously through you.” James sighed, his eyes misting over. Albus knew it had always been one of his dreams to enter the Tournament, and yet he had been just slightly too old.

“I couldn’t have entered, I’m not of age!” Albus protested.

“Like that stopped dad,” James pointed out.

“To be fair, he didn’t enter himself...” Albus said sternly. James just shrugged again. “How is dad, anyway? And mum? They barely have time to write to me.”

“Yeah, they’re good, I reckon.” James shoved his wand back into his pocket. “Dad’s a bit swamped with work and mum’s just… Mum. I think she can get through anything.”

“Glad to hear it,” Albus said. “Give them my best wishes.”

“Well, I’ll probably forget, but sure. Now, I should report you to Shacklebolt for blatant disregard of the school rules,” James began, cackling at the look of horror on Albus’ face, “but I’m feeling nice, so I’ll let you off.”

“I’d say thanks, but...” Albus trailed off.

“And I’d say, ‘don’t sweat it, bro!” James added. “Oh, hey there Scorpius. Still attached to my little brother like a leech?”

Scorpius took a menacing step forward, but compared to James in his Auror robes, he looked like a kitten ready to face a lion, David ready to face Goliath. Albus shook his head at him and he backed down almost immediately.

“Well, good for you,” James said, glancing at his watch. “Oh shit, I have to be at the rendezvous point about... 30 seconds ago… See you around little Slytherin, little Malfoy.”

“Language!” Albus called as his brother dashed away, robes billowing behind him. Just before he disappeared around the corner, he gave Albus the finger.

“What a twat,” Albus muttered. Scorpius simply nodded and lifted Albus’ arm back up so it was around his shoulder. It was a little uncomfortable, as Scorpius was several inches taller than Albus, but he didn’t complain. They simply grinned at each other before continuing on their way back to the dorm.

When they reached the Slytherin common room, Albus reluctantly let his arm drop back to his side, ignoring the dull ache of it. It wasn’t that he was afraid of what the other Slytherins would have to say about him, but that he was afraid of what they would have to say about Scorpius. As it was, very few people were still up, and those that were were too busy concentrating on their own homework or games of exploding snap to pay the Gryffindor boy any mind.

In no time at all they were up in the dorm, washed and brushed and in their pyjamas. Albus sat awkwardly on his bed, watching Scorpius pace anxiously around the room.

“Do you wanna talk about it? What happened this evening?” Albus asked. Scorpius stopped, sighing.

“I mean, ideally I’d like to suppress the whole thing,” Scorpius said, glaring sharply at Albus when he chuckled at him.

“You could always apologise, or say thank you, or something,” Albus suggested mildly. He wasn’t being entirely serious, but suddenly Scorpius’ shoulders began to shake dangerously. “No – I didn’t -”

“I’m sorry, Albus. I completely ruined the whole evening, didn’t I?” Scorpius said, the sadness in his voice almost unbearable to hear.

“What? No, of course you didn’t. It was stupid of me to hold a party for you when you’d clearly said you didn’t want one.” Albus said, still watching him cautiously.

“No, it’s okay. I did, I know I did. I ruined it just like I ruin every other bloody thing in my life!” Scorpius suddenly struck out, punching the wall with a force that Albus couldn’t have imagined he possessed. He pulled his fist back, ready to punch the stone wall again, but Albus leapt up and grabbed his fist with both hands, struggling to keep it in place.

“Scorpius, please, stop!” Albus pleaded, gently letting go of him and all too aware of the blood on his palms. Scorpius sighed and let his hands drop to his side. “You’re scaring me.”

“I’m scaring myself,” Scorpius said, looking at his cracked, bleeding knuckles with a horrified expression.

“Come here, let me help,” Albus said, pulling out his wand. With a quick ‘Episkey!” Scorpius’ wounds knitted themselves up and left clean, unblemished skin. Albus checked them quickly over to make sure his hands were completely fine.

“Why are you scared, Scor?”

“Because… because… my head’s a mess!” Scorpius said, clenching his fists as if to stop himself punching the wall once again. “Because I’m terrified that something’s going to happen to me, or to my parents, or you, or Rose!”

“Come on, sit down. You won’t feel any better pacing around like that,” Albus flopped back down onto the bed, letting out a groan that revealed just how tired he really was. Scorpius paced around a few more times before grabbing the book that he had discarded on the windowsill earlier and joining Albus on the bed, behind him. Albus rolled his eyes and swung his whole body onto the bed, shuffling back so he was next to Scorpius.

“Does that feel better?” Albus asked, putting his hands behind his head and yawning widely.

“Maybe a little...” Scorpius said.

“And honestly, I know it’s easy to worry about yourself and the people you love – I’m terrified for my parents, if I’m honest – but it doesn’t do you any good. Just send them lots of owls reassuring them how much they love you,” Albus suggested. “I send my parents owls nearly every day but they’re so swamped with work they hardly ever reply. I know they appreciate it, though. I’ve even sent one or two to James… Kind of beginning to regret that now...”

“That’s a good idea,” Scorpius said pensively. “It’s just hard to know what to say, really.”

“Well, like I said, just tell them how much you love them. In as many different ways you can think of. Love isn’t just saying ‘I love you,’ it’s ‘I care for you’ or ‘I hope you got home safe’ or ‘I’m always here if you need me.’” Albus nodded wisely. Usually he was terrible at advice but for once he felt as if the things he were saying were really making sense.

“Does that mean you love me?” Scorpius asked, grinning. Glancing back at him, Albus noted the redness of his usually pallid cheeks, but reasoned that it must have just been the fact that he was still quite obviously trying to suppress his tears, with grace and good humour of course.

“Of course I do – you’re my best friend. Oh, there’s another way of saying it!” Albus smiled smugly as Scorpius shoved him. “Now, one more thing you have to explain to me. You say your head’s a mess – How?”

“I don’t know how to explain it,” Scorpius said with a shrug and a sigh. “It’s been better since – since we talked last time, but I still find it hard to sleep sometimes ‘cause all I can think about is my parents. And – and they told me not to tell people but I assume by now I can trust you – but mum’s pregnant, and the baby’s due in May, and now all I can think about is the baby, and the baby being in danger.”

“No, you have to listen to me – your parents are safe. They kept away from our world, right? So they’ll be safe. And your little brother or sister is going to grow up in a world as safe as ours, and you’re going to love them so much. I know it seems like me and James don’t always get along, but I know deep down I love him really, even if he is a prat,” Albus smiled at Scorpius, whose bottom lip was wobbling dangerously. Without a second thought, he had draped his arm around his shoulder and wrapped him up in a big hug.

“What the hell, Potter? Get off me.” Scorpius complained, though he did nothing to escape Albus’ grasp. If anything, he nestled in just a little closer, so subtly that Albus hardly noticed.

“Oh, we’ve reverted to last names, have we, Malfoy?” Albus teased, jabbing him in the side.

“Albus, quit it!” Scorpius whined, though the bubble of laughter that escaped his lips betrayed how he truly felt as Albus jabbed him a couple more times for luck. “You’re the worst!”

“I do try,” Albus responded, shrieking as Scorpius got his revenge and began to tickle him. Albus tried to wriggle out of his grasp but it was impossible; Scorpius had him trapped in an iron grasp.

Several moments later, the pair of them were breathing hard, with aching sides and breathless laughter still escaping from their lips. Scorpius relented first, after Albus had found a particularly ticklish spot along his collarbone. His defeat had been grudgingly admitted, but Albus felt smug and satisfied regardless.

“I don’t know why we’re friends, sometimes,” Scorpius said, once their laughter had eased off. He dangled over the bed, fishing his book from the floor, before settling back in next to Albus.

“It’s – because – I’m – f-f-fantastic,” Albus managed to get out through a series of wide and relentless yawns. “And so are you,” he mumbled, nestling into the covers. In just a matter of moments, he was fast asleep, though he had fallen into unconsciousness with the acute knowledge that Scorpius was right there, next to him, their bodies still pressed tightly to each other. His last drowsy thought as he drifted off and began to snore softly was that it was really quite a pleasant sensation.

“Yeah, you really are.”


	20. Lost Kids

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is actually more of an interlude than anything else - as such, it's much shorter, but it's from rose's pov. this interlude is named after the song 'lost kids' by blood red shoes, and i hope you enjoy it very much. to make up for the shortness of the chapter, i'll post the next later today :)

“How long can we pretend that we know just who we are?”

Rose didn’t often consider herself a very angry person, but returning to Scorpius’ surprise birthday party after she had very clearly been dismissed, she was ready to spit fire, to punch a couple of walls, to set fire to some inanimate object. She told Angela where Albus had gone, trying to restrain the venom in her voice; she didn’t think she had given the best first impression, regardless, and then she stood against one wall, silently fuming, contemplating just how everything ended up like this.

Thinking about Scorpius and his foolish behaviour that evening only served to make her angrier. She grabbed a bottle of some mysterious, unidentified, but hopefully alcoholic liquid from the table and took a cautious sip before cringing and deciding that she didn’t much care to repeat her best friend’s actions. Marcus waved at her from the opposite side of the room but she simply scowled, wanting nothing more than to be left alone to her thoughts.

See, if Rose really thought about it, there were only two things that she absolutely detested in the world – at least as far as she was concerned.

The first of these was keeping secrets. She was a blabbermouth; there was no way of getting around it. Back in Second Year, when her mother had told her that she was the new Minister for Magic, she had nearly burst with the very knowledge of it. In the end, she had told Scorpius, as unlike her, he was excellent at keeping secrets. He even seemed to enjoy it, something Rose viewed as almost sadistic.

So, in Fifth Year, when she had found out that her best friend was very much in love with her cousin, of all the people in the world, she thought she’d very nearly been on the verge of having an aneurism, she struggled so much to keep it secret. She had nearly spilled it so many times, but imagining the look on Scorpius’ face and those pathetic puppy dog eyes he gave her always kept her lips sealed.

It had been a strange evening, the day she had found out. After all, it had more or less begun with Scorpius trying to make a move on her. The very thought of it still invoked shudders and a distinct sense of revulsion. The kiss itself had been wet and sloppy and altogether a highly unpleasant experience. When Albus had punched him, she had almost been relieved.

Albus had stuck with them for the rest of the evening, keeping a close and suspicious eye on Scorpius, but the second he had returned back to his own common room, Rose had cornered him. The conversation wasn’t something she ever thought she would forget.

“What the hell was that all about, Scorpius?” She said in what she thought had been quite a polite tone of voice. From the look of fear in his eyes, she realised it had been anything but.

“Look, I’m sorry, alright I just – I’ve been kind of confused lately and I just wanted to see if I enjoyed it...” He grinned sheepishly at her and pulled those bloody puppy dog eyes at her. She narrowed her eyes at him and pulled him into a more secluded corner of the room.

“Oh, so, what, I was your little experiment or something?” She hissed, jabbing a finger at his chest. She wasn’t really sure why, but it had felt appropriate.

“Well, you’re a girl, I’m a boy...” Scorpius said, shrugging.

“Yeah, yeah, well observed!” Rose said with a condescending roll of the eyes. “So… Did you enjoy it?”

“No,” He admitted. “If I tell you something, will you promise not to tell anybody? And I mean it this time, Rose, not a single person, not like in Third Year when you told Astrid I liked her."

“Scorpius!” She whined. “I’ll try, ‘cause it’s you, but… It better be good.”

“Okay...” He hesitated for a few moments, taking a deep breath as if steeling himself. “So. This is something I’ve been thinking about for a long time. And I realised after tonight that I can’t possibly keep it secret any longer.”

“Yeah, okay, just spill!” Rose said impatiently, tapping her foot.

“I’m in love with Albus,” he whispered, biting his lip and glancing up to meet Rose’s eyes. He looked more scared and vulnerable than Rose had ever seen him; at that moment, the secret hadn’t even mattered – if she was honest, she had kind of already guessed. “Well? Say something!”

“What is there to say?” She asked. “Are you alright?”

“Am I… Of course I’m not alright!” Scorpius sighed, crossing his arms. “I’m in love with someone who I’m fairly certain is never going to love me back, and I have been since Third Year! Why do you think I broke up with Astrid?”

Now that, Rose hadn’t expected, “For two whole years? Just say something!”

“No.” Scorpius said firmly. “I can’t do that. I can’t explain it, I just… No. I can’t.”

“Okay, well, take your time,” Rose said, and that was that.

The next few months had been torture. Every time she saw the pair of them together, studying or messing about or just hanging out, she’d had the overwhelming urge to just shake them and knock their heads together and tell Albus how her best friend felt about him. She figured it would make everything a whole lot easier, but Scorpius was so afraid of being rejected that she knew she couldn’t possibly do anything.

One evening, after Slytherin had won the Quidditch Cup, Rose had decided to stay in the Gryffindor common with Astrid and work on a Transfiguration essay they both knew they should have done days before. Lily, who often came into the common room with her friends, had come to join them to work on some Charms homework.

It was getting rather late and the three of them were considering calling it a day when Scorpius had flung himself through the portrait, fear and panic clear on his face. Rose leapt to her feet and intercepted him on the stairs up to the boys’ dorm. He stank of alcohol and Rose wrinkled her nose; she wasn’t a fan of alcohol at all.

“What’s wrong?” She asked, frowning up at him.

“Albus and I we were just – just dancing – and,” Scorpius hiccuped loudly, “it was amazing but then we – we nearly – I think we nearly kissed and I was so scared and then the song finished and I ran all the way here.”

“What’s going on?” Lily said, popping up out of nowhere as she usually did. Rose, exhausted and frazzled and sick of keeping secrets, decided that enough was enough.

“He’s in love with your brother.” She said. Scorpius glared at her, eyes wide and afraid.

“Cool,” Lily said with a nonchalant shrug. “You guys’d be cute together.”

“What the hell, Rose?” Scorpius demanded, looking to be on the verge of tears.

“Hey, it’s alright,” Lily said, patting him gently on the arm. “Your secret’s safe with me. Unlike Rose here, I know when to keep my mouth shut.”

And so Lily and Scorpius had struck up a rather unusual friendship, and Rose's overwhelming urge to spill secrets at every opportunity was quelled for the time being. Not to mention that this was part of the reason Rose was so angry that evening; who did he think he was, messing that girl around when he was so obviously in love with her cousin? The whole situation made her see red.

The second thing that Rose detested, perhaps even more than she despised secrets, was love. Not familial love or platonic love or all of that; she loved her family and her friends unconditionally and would do absolutely anything for them.

But romantic love? No fucking thanks. Considering that kissing Scorpius had been one of the most unpleasant experiences of her short life, and she felt faintly ill every time Laurent tried to make conversation with her, she had decided that love just wasn’t for her.

Seeing all of her friends and family happily in relationships only served to make her realise just how deeply she didn’t want to be in love or in a relationship. There was Teddy and Victoire, of course, who had recently gotten back together, much to everyone’s delight, and then there was Albus and Angela.

Rose didn’t know what it was about Angela, but there was something about her that just rubbed Rose the wrong way. She seemed nice enough, all smiles and kisses and long dark hair, but to Rose it just seemed like a façade, like she wasn’t really all she made herself out to be. Of course, it may just have been because she was dating her cousin, who her best friend was very much in love with. It was all very messy and unnecessary, and Rose just knew, somewhere deep down inside herself, that she was better off alone.

Maybe one day she would fall in love, maybe one day she would understand what Scorpius meant when he talked so wistfully about Albus, maybe one day she would feel what her parents felt when they danced around the kitchen and bought each other flowers, but for now she was happy. She was Rose Weasley, and she was unstoppable. She didn’t need anybody else.

With a sigh, she placed the full bottle back on the table and stalked back to the Gryffindor dorm, seething with anger the entire way. No, Rose didn’t need love. Not at all. Not when it made her friends act the way they did. She was undoubtedly better off alone, though she couldn’t shake off the fog of loneliness that seemed to envelop her like a cloud as she settled into bed for what would most likely be a sleepless night of tossing and turning.

No, she didn’t need love, and she certainly didn’t need anyone else, but it would have been nice to understand just what everybody else was feeling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if anyone is wondering, i headcanon rose as asexual and aromantic, hence why she's so turned off by love. i hope you also liked the insight into what scorpius is feeling. :)


	21. Beginners

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is named after the song 'beginners' by slow club. you should check out the music video, you'll see a very familiar face!! enjoy this chapter, and i hope you don't all hate me too much afterwards :)

“You know these moments, they take years to pass”

The first thing Albus became aware of was the noise; an everlasting, eternal, never-ending pounding in his head. He groaned, pulled his pillow over his head, stuffed his hands into his ears, anything to make it stop, make it go away. It never stopped; never went away.

The second thing Albus became aware of was the warmth at his side, a warm, heavy weight pressed against his back, a feeling of familiarity and comfort unlike anything he thought he had ever felt. He thought about that, and the pounding went away for a little while.

The third thing Albus became aware of was that the noise wasn’t coming from inside of him, but externally, somewhere outside of his consciousness, and it was only when he realised this that he was jolted awake, a shift from asleep to not so sudden he had to give himself a few seconds just to breathe, to get a bearing on his surroundings.

He gently nudged Scorpius’ arm from his back and pulled himself up with a great amount of exertion. Merlin, his eyes were burning, and so bleary he could barely tell which way was up. The pounding, which he now understood came from the door, grew more frantic. With a great deal more effort, he pulled himself to his feet and stumbled blindly to the door, fumbling at the door handle until he had it in his grip and yanking the door open.

If he had expected anybody at all to be knocking at his door at 2am, Professor Zabini was probably the last person on earth. He looked as bleary and half-awake as Albus felt, an imposing figure in the doorway with his dark robes and lantern, which shone directly into Albus’ eyes and made him squint.

“Professor?” He asked, once he had gathered his senses and wits together. “What are you doing here?”

“Mr. Potter, I’m terribly sorry, but you need to come to Professor Shacklebolt’s office immediately. There has been… An incident.” Albus caught a glimpse of uncertainty, of fear, in his professor’s eyes, and a jolt of shock went through him. Suddenly he felt more alert than he had ever been in his life.

“What’s wrong? What happened?” Albus demanded, casting a glance back towards the beds, wondering how quickly he could get dressed.

“I’m afraid I don’t know all of the specifics.” Zabini admitted, his head bowed low. Suddenly, a shuffling noise came from one Albus’ bed and Scorpius stumbled out of it, rubbing at his eyes and blinking wearily at Albus and the professor. Zabini glanced furtively at the trunk at the bottom of the bed, which had Albus’ initials emblazoned upon it, and then back to Scorpius, who was beginning to look a little more alert. His lips twitched and he raised his eyebrows slightly, but Albus didn’t notice.

“Can Scorpius come with me?” Albus asked as Scorpius stretched and looked at him questioningly.

“Actually… That would probably be for the best. Professor Longbottom was instructed to retrieve him from the Gryffindor dorms, but quite clearly he will not be found there. I’ll give you five minutes to get dressed while I send a Patronus to Professor Longbottom.” Without another word, Zabini turnedd and strode proudly out of the room.

“What’s going on?” Scorpius asked through the sounds of snoring that came from Marcus’ bed. He could sleep through anything, something which Albus envied him greatly for at that moment.

“I don’t know. Zabini says we have to go see Shacklebolt.” Albus shrugged and began to pull off his pyjama top. In moments, the pair of them were fully dressed, whispering anxiously among themselves about what could possibly be happening.

The walk to Shacklebolt’s office was sombre. Nobody dared speak. Zabini led them, his lantern held high, and somewhere on the third floor they met up with Professor Longbottom, who had his lips pursed and his fists clenched. Both teachers looked more tense and on edge than Albus had ever seen them before, and Albus would have been lying if he’d said he wasn’t more than a little afraid in that moment. He glanced over to Scorpius, who was pale-faced, and squeezed his hand. He received a watery smile in return.

“Felix Felicis,” Zabini mumbled once they reached the gargoyle that would take them up to Shacklebolt’s office. Albus had never been before, having never been in a great amount of trouble and having never had any other particular reason to. Albus almost leapt back in shock as the gargoyle jumped to the side, revealing a stairwell, which they immediately went up.

Albus looked around Shacklebolt’s office wondrously, if only granting himself a few seconds for the luxury as he knew there were more important things that had to be dealt with. A portrait of a man who appeared to be fast asleep and could only have been Albus Dumbledore opened his eyes suddenly and smiled sadly down at him. Albus gulped and took another step towards Shacklebolt’s desk.

Kingsley Shacklebolt looked less resplendent than Albus had ever seen him before, in relatively plain robes of deep maroon. More than anything, he looked tired.

“Mr. Potter, Mr. Malfoy,” he greeted, nodding solemnly at them. “I’m sorry to have had to drag you here at such an early hour, but I had no other choice. Mr. Potter, I regret to inform you that your father is in an Intensive Care unit at St. Mungo’s.”

Albus felt like the entire world had just been taken from underneath his feet. His father, his wonderful, unstoppable, incredible father, was in intensive care? It didn’t seem possible.

“I’m sorry, Professor Shacklebolt, but what do I have to do with all this?” Scorpius asked, his hand still clasped tightly to Albus’. The sensation of it grounded him somewhat, though it couldn’t stop the bile rising in his throat or the tears prickling behind his eyes.

“He was with your mother and father at the time,” Shacklebolt began. When Scorpius said no more, he continued, “They were out for dinner when somebody – we don’t know who – attacked them. We don’t know who the main target was either but it was Harry Potter who took the fall.”

“Is my mum alright?” Albus asked, once he could finally speak again.

“She’s fine, don’t you worry.” Well, Albus considered, it was a little late for that. “You can use my fireplace to floo to St. Mungo’s, where a Mediwitch or Wizard will great you. And once again, I give you my condolences.”

The way Shacklebolt said it, it was almost as if his father had died already. Albus reluctantly let go of Scorpius’ hand and approached the fireplace, floo powder in hand. Seconds later, he found himself stumbling out of the fireplace and landing in a clean, sterile room, bustling with people. Seconds later, Scorpius joined him, and they looked around apprehensively.

“Albus?” It was Victoire. She looked more grown-up and beautiful than Albus had ever seen her before, even in her robes, which were as sterile and white as the rest of the place. With her pale blonde hair, she blended in perfectly. “Oh, I was so sorry to hear about what happened! Come on, I’ll take you to go see your dad. You can come along too, Scorpius.”

“Don’t be too shocked when you see him,” she warned as she led the pair of them through long corridors and up endless stairwells. “There was rather a lot of spell damage and for a while it was touch and go, which is why you weren’t told until now, but we’re certain that he’ll make a full recovery.”

She was so little like the girl he had grown up with, who used to tug his hair and make him play with her dolls when Fleur was babysitting them. It felt strange to see her as a professional working woman and to know that most of his cousins were in the same position, with jobs abroad or in the ministry. Even Fred was working abroad as a trainee curse-breaker.

Albus saw Draco Malfoy and his wife first, sitting anxiously outside a closed off room. Scorpius ran to them immediately and wrapped them both up in a hug, fussing over them and making sure the baby was alright. Albus hung back, watching the scene unfold before him.

“I’m afraid your father’s not quite ready for visitors yet,” Victoire informed him as she checked over the clipboard at the door to his room. “Ginny’s just gone to get a cup of coffee, she’ll be back shortly, and James and Lily will be arriving soon. Now, I have to go, I have rounds to do. See you later, Albus.”

Albus simply nodded stiffly as Victoire kissed him briefly on the top of his head and bustled away down the otherwise deserted corridor. Scorpius beckoned to him, and he went and sat down awkwardly next to him, staring vacantly into the distance.

“I’m really sorry about what happened, Albus,” Draco Malfoy said suddenly, clearing his throat from the other side of Scorpius.

“Me too, Mr. Malfoy,” Albus said, shrugging his shoulders petulantly. “I’m sorry if this sounds rude, but why were you at dinner with my parents?”

“We’ve been exchanging letters ever since – ever since the summer,” Draco explained, sighing. “I think we both felt bad for the way things had ended twenty years ago,”

“We decided to meet tonight,” Astoria began, fumbling around in her handbag. “For dinner. Just to talk about everything that’s happened over the last twenty years – you know, how we managed to adapt to a Muggle lifestyle, what it’s like bringing up children in this ‘new world’. Here, boys, have some chocolate, it’ll help.”

Astoria handed them each a few squares of chocolate. Albus ate his slowly, considerately, but he couldn’t deny that he immediately felt a little better. Scorpius smiled at him gently from the next seat as he nibbled delicately on his chocolate and Draco and Astoria continued with their story.

“How all this happened – we really don’t know,” Draco admitted, his eyes tight. “One minute we were discussing the Ministry reform, the next – everything went white, and there was a blast so loud I immediately thought I’d never be able to hear again.”

“The next thing we knew, we were lying on the floor and your mother had her arms cradled around your father. She was screaming – we were all screaming. I haven’t seen anything like it, not since -” Astoria paused, looking horror-stricken. Her hair and face were streaked with something dark, like soot. She didn’t need to say the words.

At that moment, a familiar figure with long, auburn hair tied neatly back and hands full of cups of coffee rounded the corner, coming to an immediate halt as she surveyed the scene in front of her. Albus jumped to his feet, wanting nothing more than to run to his mum and let her embrace him and never let him go.

Instead he waited until she had doled out the coffee to Scorpius’ parents before wrapping her up in a bone-crunching hug. She hugged him back just as tightly, and they stayed like that for minutes or hours or eternity. At one point he started crying but he didn’t even realise until Ginny released him and silently handed him a tissue.

“Why’s this happening?” He asked, scrubbing frantically at his eyes and trying desperately to ignore the way his knees and shoulders were shaking.

“I don’t know, love,” Ginny admitted, gently stroking his hair. “Come on, sit down, James and Lily should be here any minute.”

Albus sat down unwillingly and at last got a good look at his mother. There was soot or ash smudged across her cheeks, and what could have been a streak of dried blood on her arm. She looked more tired than Albus had ever seen her before, with deep, dark shadows under her red-rimmed eyes.

True to her word, James and Lily arrived only moments later. James looked almost as tired as Ginny, his auror robes hanging loosely from his body as if he’d barely had time to get dressed. Lily was still in her pyjamas and had her old teddy bear clutched tightly to her chest. She wandered over to sit next to Albus, stifling a yawn as she did so.

Nobody spoke for what felt like hours. It was as if nobody dared to, as if by speaking something precious would be broken. So they waited in perpetual silence, as Lily fell asleep with her head on Albus’ shoulder and Scorpius hesitantly took his hand once again. Ginny and James, who were seated opposite them, watched them carefully, eyes tight.

In fact, the only sounds were those of coffee being softly slurped and the incessant ticking of a clock somewhere down the hall. Albus’ eyelids began to feel heavy, and he was quite tempted just to rest his head on Scorpius’ shoulder and drift off to sleep as Lily had done, but he couldn’t bring himself to. He stayed awake, as difficult as it may have been, pinching himself from time to time if he felt too close to unconsciousness.

His mind was whirring, throwing up every possibility, every outcome. At times he almost wished he was asleep, just so the thoughts would stop for a little while. He imagined a solemn witch or wizard informing him that his father had died, or that the damage was irreparable, or that he would live, but he would never be the same again. It was absolutely mentally exhausting.

Suddenly Ginny sprang to her feet as the door to Harry’s room was opened by a Mediwitch who looked just as weary as the rest of them felt. She gave Ginny a small smile, a smile that seemed to say ‘the worst is over, he’ll be okay’ before she gestured to them to go inside. Albus exhaled a breath he hadn’t even been aware that he was holding.

“Family only,” she said sternly as Draco and Astoria got to their feet. With a frustrated sigh each, they sat back down. Albus nudged Lily awake and together, the four of them entered Harry’s room, muscles tensed and nerves steeled.

Inside, the room was as cold and sterile as the rest of the hospital. Harry was there, awake, propped up with numerous pillows. Albus heart almost came to a stuttering halt when he spotted the large gash down his cheek. It was stitched up and no longer bleeding, but there was no doubt in Albus’ mind that his dad would now have a scar to match the faded lightning bolt on his forehead.

He smiled as they entered, a smile that didn’t reach his eyes and couldn’t adequately disguise the pain or the effort of it. He looked small, somehow, swamped by pillows and bedsheets and tubes and wires as he was. Albus couldn’t even begin to fathom what they could be for.

“Dad!” Lily cried, rushing up to the bed and wrapping him up in a big but gentle hug. With slow, pained movements he managed to wrap his arms around her as she sobbed into his chest. Ginny walked stiffly around to sit at his other side, clasping his hand. They kissed, but for once nobody made gagging noises or diverted their eyes. It was the only thing she could have done.

Albus hesitated at the door before James pushed him forward, gesturing towards Harry. He smiled at his brother before hurrying over to join Lily at their dad’s side. James joined Ginny at the other side of the bed and the five of them stayed like that, all wrapped up in each other’s presence, all so incredibly relieved that they were even there right now, able to hug their father and tell him how much they loved him.

A million and one different emotions were running through Albus' mind, so fast that he couldn’t get a handle on them. He was stressed, he was exhausted, he was the happiest person in the world, he was terrified, he wanted nothing more than to hide away from the world. He was somehow all of those things at once, and it made him dizzy and nauseous and a crying wreck all at once.

“I’m so happy you’re here,” Harry said, his voice a low croak. “I wish it were under different circumstances, of course,”

Lily lifted her head briefly to glare at him, and everybody laughed. It was as if all the tension that had been building up in the room, tension Albus hadn’t even realised was there, had been released. Albus suddenly felt like he could breathe.

“How long do you think you’ll be here, dad?” Albus asked, glancing at the clock. It was now sometime after five o’clock.

“Not too long, I hope,” he croaked, grinning the easy smile he always had just for Albus. “They’ll need to keep me in for a few days for observation, but I’m sure I’ll be fit as a fiddle in no time.”

“You’re still going to play Quidditch in the garden with me though, right?” Lily demanded, sitting up straight. She had left a big damp patch on the duvet from where she had been crying, but she seemed reassured by her dad’s upbeat attitude. Albus wasn’t quite as convinced, but he tried his best to remain optimistic.

“Of course, I wouldn’t give that up for the world,” Harry ascertained, bumping awkward fists with her.

“I’m going to go tell Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy you’re alright,” Albus announced. “And go get something to eat. I don’t feel too good.”

When both his parents had nodded their consent, Albus turned and left. The atmosphere in there had been almost stifling, and when he was out in the corridor he was rather glad to have the opportunity to be away from his family for a moment or two. He loved them dearly and deeply, of course, but when he was younger he had always felt like the odd one out, a feeling that still lingered at times.

Draco got to his feet as he entered the hallway. Next to him, Astoria was yawning widely whilst Scorpius was fast asleep in his chair. At the sounds of the door closing, he jolted awake, and smiled sleepily at Albus.

“Is he alright?” Draco asked, furrowing his brows.

“I think so, Mr. Malfoy,” Albus replied. “He’s sitting up and making jokes so I think that means he’s alright.”

“Oh, I’m so glad to hear that,” Astoria said, her hand pressed to her chest.

“Me too,” Albus agreed, grinning. “I’m just going to get some food, if you’d like some?”

“I’ll have another coffee, if that’s not too much to ask,” Draco asked politely before sitting back down next to Astoria. Albus nodded and turned to leave.

“I’ll come with you,” Scorpius announced, getting to his feet and stretching, his fingertips almost brushing the ceiling. The pair of them wandered down endless, vast white corridors and up and down stairs in search of the cafeteria, until at long last they found a large, circular, surgically white room. At this hour, it was almost empty, and the witches and wizards occupying the plastic seats all looked to be on the brink of sleep.

Along one stretch of wall was a series of windows, and Albus blinked in weary surprise at the slowly lightening sky outside and the magnificent view of Muggle London that he could see, all skyscrapers and sharp, silhouetted outlines. He would have given anything to be on the other side of that window.

“Are you alright?” Scorpius asked as he joined Albus at the window. Albus breathed out a heavy sigh that carried with it the weight of everything that had happened that night.

“Not really, no,” he admitted, inexplicably feeling tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. “I guess I thought he was invincible. Like, growing up, dad was the saviour of our world, the head auror, the bravest man anyone ever knew, and look at him now. Hooked up to all these strange wires and machines and barely even able to lift a finger or smile at his children.”

“I’m sorry, Al,” Scorpius said. “He’ll get better though, I’m sure. I think part of growing up is realising your parents aren’t the superheroes you’ve made them out to be… It’s totally shit the way you had to realise it, though.”

“You’re telling me,” Albus scoffed. “This must be hard for you too, though.”

“Yeah,” Scorpius nodded. “Like, it could’ve been dad, you know? Who’s to say who the real target of this attack was?”

“I can’t believe this is all happening again.” Albus said, sighing and turning away from the window as a clock chimed, signalling that it was now six o’clock in the morning. Albus wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to sleep again after all of this. “Come on, let’s grab something to eat.”

They bought a couple of sandwiches and chocolate bars from a grumpy looking wizard at the kiosk, as well as a cup of coffee for Scorpius’ dad, and set off back through the labyrinth of the hospital to find his dad’s room.

They managed to find the place eventually, and the four of them sat, eating or drinking, in complete silence, thoughts weighing on the events of the evening. Albus could barely even let himself imagine what it must have been like, being in that restaurant, eating a meal safe in the knowledge that everything in the world was safe and good when suddenly – suddenly – one person or a group of people decided they were just going to fuck everything up. Something deep inside Albus burned in rage at the thought of the perpetrators, somewhere deep inside of him that he hadn’t even known existed until this evening.

He hadn’t even realised how much he was shaking until a gentle hand was placed on his, which were trembling in his lap. He glanced up and was surprised to see Lily at his side. He’d been so wrapped up in his own thoughts and hatred and exhaustion that he hadn’t even noticed the door opening.

Lily smiled encouragingly and squeezed his hand. She looked almost as tired as Albus felt, with dark shadows under her bloodshot eyes and her long ginger hair scraped back into a messy ponytail.

“Ooh, you saved some sandwich for me!” She exclaimed, grabbing the packet from where it lay discarded on the seat next to him. He hadn’t, in fact, saved any of his sandwich for her, but he wasn’t sure he could stomach another bite of the slightly stale bread and thinly-spread tuna mayonnaise. Within seconds, the sandwich was gone. Albus chuckled slightly and Lily whacked him over the head with the empty packet.

“Oh, by the way Mr. Malfoy, Dad says he wants to talk to you,” Lily said brightly. Albus marvelled at how she managed to be so alert and optimistic at a time like this, and he envied her greatly for it. Draco paled slightly, something Albus wouldn’t have thought possible except that he had seen Scorpius do it several times, and rose to his feet, Astoria at his side.

As they entered Harry’s room, James left, peering at them suspiciously. Albus rolled his eyes at him as he came and sat down at Lily’s other side. The four of them sat there awkwardly as the soft sounds of adult conversation penetrated the silence.

“What do you think they’re talking about?” Lily asked.

“Grown-up stuff, you wouldn’t understand,” James said, patting her dismissively on the head.

“We could always eavesdrop,” she suggested with a small smile, rising to her feet. She tiptoed over to the room and pressed her ear to the door. Abruptly the conversation stopped and she sighed, stomping back over and flopping down into her seat. “Bloody Muffliatus.”

“Come on, we should try and get some sleep,” Albus said, though sleep was the furthest thing from his mind. Scorpius nodded sleepily from beside him; he’d been completely silent since they returned from the cafeteria and Albus couldn’t blame him in the slightest.

“What if something happens to dad?” Lily asked, her bottom lip wobbling.

“Then someone’ll wake us up,” Albus replied. “But it’s not going to happen. So don’t worry about it.”

James shoved everyone unwillingly out of their seats, ignoring their complaints as he transfigured the hard plastic chairs into plush armchairs. With reluctant thank yous, everyone took their seats again. Albus admitted a little grudgingly that he was much more comfortable now. The hard plastic had been beginning to make his back ache like nothing he’d ever felt before.

It was really quite miraculous how quickly Albus felt exhaustion take hold once he wasn’t sitting anxiously on the very edge of his seat. He snuggled contentedly into the chair, sighing as he leaned his head sleepily on Scorpius’ shoulder. Lily was fast asleep already, her thumb in her mouth as she managed to lean against both James and Albus at the same time.

For the time being, Albus could almost forget everything that had happened that evening. He knew he would have to face it all head on when he woke, but for now he was ready to dream of better things.

After a little while, Albus heard the comings and goings of doctors and other adults, but he was simply too tired to care.


	22. Wake Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is named after the song 'wake up' by arcade fire. enjoy!

“I guess we’ll just have to adjust”

When Albus awoke that morning, groggily and with a distinct awareness that he had slept oddly on his neck and it was no doubt going to hurt for the rest of the day, he was all alone. The other armchairs where Scorpius and his siblings had slept were back to their usual plastic selves, and it was so quiet he could have heard a pin drop.

He jumped to his feet frantically, glancing up and down the hall for sign that there was someone else out there. He peered through a crack in the door to his dad’s room but it was completely dark inside. If he listened hard enough, he could hear the soft sounds of his dad’s snoring, and he let out a slight sigh of relief.

“I see you’re awake, lazy bones,” Albus jumped at the voice behind him. Spinning around, he rolled his eyes to see James standing there, a coffee in his hands which he offered immediately to Albus. He took a long, scalding hot sip. He didn’t need his tastebuds all that much, surely.

“What time is it?” He wondered as he drained his coffee.

“A little after twelve,” James said with a shrug.

“In the morning?” Albus asked, eyes wide with horror. In the time he’d been asleep, anything could have happened! Why didn’t anybody wake him?

“Well, even you would struggle to sleep for like eighteen hours,” James laughed, “Anyway, it’s a Sunday. It isn’t like you’re missing school or anything.”

“I have homework!” Albus protested, “Why didn’t anyone wake me up?”

“Oh, we tried,” James said with a shrug, “But you told us all to fuck off. Mum isn’t very pleased with you.”

“Is dad alright?” Albus asked, his shoulders slumping. Even the combination of coffee and sleep couldn’t shake the exhaustion from his bones.

“He’s fine,” James reassured, patting him awkwardly on the shoulder before turning and transfiguring the armchair back into its usual rickety state, “I think he’s asleep at the moment. Mum and Lily have gone to get some food, and Scorpius and his parents went back to their house for the day. I think they’re coming back, though, once they’ve got everything sorted.”

Moments later, as Albus and James took awkward seats in the waiting room, Lily and Ginny reappeared, laden with the cheap but altogether not too disgusting food from the cafeteria. Albus pinched a packet of biscuits and devoured them in moments; he hadn’t realised quite how hungry he was.

“You guys are alright to go back to school once we’ve finished eating, right?” Ginny asked once she had finished her sandwich.

“What? No! I want to stay here with dad!” Lily protested, sticking her bottom lip out and looking to be on the verge of tears.

“I’m sorry, sweetie,” Ginny said soothingly as she smoothed Lily’s hair down, “Dad’s going to be just fine, and you’ll be better at Hogwarts where you’ll be safe and you can do all your homework.”

“You think I care about homework now?” Lily demanded, huffing, “I’ve kind of got other things on my mind! Right, Albus?”

“Well, actually...” He began with a sheepish smile, “I do have a lot of homework… And dad’s in the best hands he could possibly be in here, and Mum’ll be here with him.”

Ginny nodded, “I’ve taken the next few days off work. I’ll make sure Kingsley keeps you updated. Now, come on, he’s expecting you.”

Albus took Lily’s hand and with one last goodbye at Harry’s door to make sure they didn’t wake him, the four of them headed into the depths of the hospital in search of the fireplaces that would take him and Lily back to Hogwarts. James was going to Grimmauld place, to make sure everything was in order there and to bring some of Harry’s stuff back to the hospital.

“I’ll miss you, Mum,” Albus whispered as Ginny hugged him and Lily tightly as if she never wanted to let them go. She simply smiled sadly at him and patted his cheeks. After an awkward hug with James, Albus and Lily headed into the fireplace with longing looks back at their family.

Shacklebolt greeted them at the other end of the floo, pacing anxiously about the circular office room. He stopped and looked meaningfully at Albus, who nodded. Everything was going to be alright, at least for the time being. He just had to try and remain as optimistic as Lily. Shacklebolt smiled briefly at them before getting down to business.

“Now, I’m afraid we couldn’t keep news of what happened out of the Daily Prophet, but I’m sure that’s nothing in comparison to what you two must have been through last night. You’re exempt from lessons this week, your teachers have been informed -”

“No,” Albus interjected, “I want to keep going. I guess I... need the distraction.”

“Me too,” Lily nodded. She had her arms crossed and her head held up proudly, but in her fraying old pyjamas she looked much younger than she was, far too young to be dealing with any of this. Albus glanced over at her and she smiled back, a smile that clearly didn’t reach her eyes.

“Of course. I will tell your teachers to expect you, in that case.” Shacklebolt dismissed them with a wave and shuffled through the papers on his desk. Taking that as their clear cue to leave, the pair of them hurried down the stairs, out of the stuffiness of the office and through the castle.

“I’ll see you at dinner, then?” Albus asked, once they had reached the corridor that led to the Hufflepuff common room and the kitchens, “Unless you want me around. Not sure why you would, though.”

“Shut up, you. Of course I want you around,” Lily said, nudging him, “But I’ll be alright, honestly.”

“Of course you will,” Albus said, hugging her briefly. Once he had reached his own dorm room, practically running through the common room to avoid the eyes of his housemates, he showered quickly and changed into a fresh set of robes. It was astonishing how something so simple made him feel so much better than he had in his crumpled, slightly stale-smelling robes. He stayed up in the dorm, catching up with his homework on his bed and even having a brief nap, until it was time to go down to dinner and face his friends, as well as the rest of the school.

“Albus!” Someone called his name the second he stepped into the hall. At this time, it was already full to the brim with people, almost all of whom turned to watched him curiously as he headed towards the Slytherin table, where his friends were sat today. Marcus, who had been the one to call his name, had gotten to his feet, as had Stella and Rose. Scorpius was nowhere to be seen.

Albus let out a strangled noise of protest as all three of them wrapped him up in a startling but rather welcome hug. He let them keep hugging him, oblivious to the obvious stares of the other students and even a few of the teachers. They led him into a seat and piled his plate high with all of his favourite foods.

“We were so sorry to hear about what happened,” Rose said, her dark blue eyes so full of sympathy it was almost unbearable to look at her, “Mum sent me an owl first thing to make sure I wouldn’t have to read the Daily Prophet’s drivel first.”

“I can only imagine what the Prophet have to say about all this,” Albus said with a shudder as he scooped up a big mouthful of macaroni cheese.

“Oh, they’re having a field day,” Stella scoffed, her face contorted in plain disgust, “Dad told me what he knew though, which wasn’t much, but I’m inclined to believe him over the prophet.”

“Were your parents really out with Scorpius’ parents?” Rose asked, glancing anxiously at her cousin.

“Yep,” Albus responded, “I think they feel like it’s all their fault. Have you seen Scorpius?”

“I think he’s spending the day at his parents’.” Rose said, “He’ll be back tomorrow.” Albus risked a look at the rest of the hall and spotted Lily immediately, surrounded by her friends who seemed to be questioning her relentlessly on what had happened. Albus was happy his friends were a little more mature. She sent him a thumbs up, anyway, to reassure him that it wasn’t really all that bad.

“That’s good to hear,” Albus said with a smile as he tucked back into his food. And it really was.

-

A week later, Harry was beginning to show clear signs of improvement; or at least, he had tried his hardest for his children when they went to visit him after what had been a slow, frantic, and emotionally draining week. Saturday, the next chance they had to see their dad, could not possibly have come fast enough.

Stepping into the clean, sterile room – a different, more open room to the one he had had last time – Albus breathed out a sigh of relief at the sigh of his father sitting up in bed, a book in his lap, which was clear of all the mysterious tubes and wires that had been omnipresent last time. The scar on his cheek still looked nasty, all red and puckered, confirming Albus’ suspicions that it might not ever heal.

When Albus and Lily entered the room, Harry smiled, putting his book down on his bedside table and pulling his duvet to the side, struggling to pull himself to his feet. Albus took a step towards him, an offer of help, but Harry waved his hand dismissively his way as he continued to attempt what seemed to be the impossible. After a couple more futile looking attempts, he was on his feet, leaning shakily against the wall.

“See, kids? I’m going to be fine,” Harry said with what he must have thought was a reassuring grin. Lily and Albus shared a look before relenting and rushing over to help him back into bed.

“Did the Mediwizards say you could do that?” Lily fussed, pulling his blanket back over him before settling in to the crook of the bed next to him. Albus took the chair on his other side, shaking his head disapprovingly at him.

“Perhaps...” Harry said, ruffling Lily’s hair. Albus snorted, eliciting a breezy chuckle from his father.

“You might be Head Auror, dad, but you’re not invincible.” Albus reminded him, flipping absent-mindedly through the book his dad had just discarded. It was all about defence spells and wards and other protective enchantments. Albus couldn’t help it; he rolled his eyes disparagingly at the book and threw it back onto the table.

“As people seem so keen to remind me,” Harry noted, pointing to the scar across his cheek. He said it brightly, though, as if he would actually be willing to forgive the perpetrators. Such a notion hadn’t even crossed Albus’ mind; the way he looked at it, the people who did it deserved to be punished. They’d tried to hurt his father – maybe even tried to kill him! It was a little startling to think that the saviour of the Wizarding World was just as mortal as everybody else.

“I’m just sad you can’t come see the Triwizard Tournament,” Lily said with a regretful sigh. He had been intending to come down and see the competition, but other things had gotten in the way. The hospital weren’t sure he would be up for it, and so he wasn’t going, and that was that.

“You know, they wanted me to be a guest judge...” Harry mused, “But I didn’t want to get involved at all, not after being a competitor myself...”

“It’d be way more interesting with you as a judge,” Lily said, pouting, “Michael Corner doesn’t ever look like he wants to be there.”

“Michael Corner, hey?” Harry said, grinning, “Well, it’s probably for the best that I’m not also judging.”

“Why?” Albus asked, trying to feign nonchalance as he leaned casually back into his chair.

“He and your mum used to go out,” Harry admitted, as Lily shrieked and fell off the bed.

“How come mum never told us this?” She demanded, dusting off her robes and settling into the seat at the other side of Harry. Albus rolled his eyes and let the conversation wash over him. When Ginny arrived at long last after work, the four of them spent a good hour playing exploding snap. It reminded Albus of when he was little, back before anyone went to Hogwarts. Even though James was too busy to be there, he knew this was a memory he’d cherish forever.

After that, Lily and Albus were very reluctantly sent back to Hogwarts, but they returned in much higher spirits than they had been in the last time they had returned from St. Mungo’s. They arrived back at Hogwarts halfway through dinner, and hurried eagerly down to the Great Hall, where they split off to sit with their friends.

Unfortunately, there were no seats left around either Albus’ friends or Angela and her friends from Salem, so he sat grumpily at the very end of the Slytherin table, picking grudgingly at the narrow selection of food that was available. After around ten minutes of eating in silence and half-heartedly trying to eavesdrop on the conversation of the Third Years near him, Albus was joined by Scorpius, who had brought a plate piled high with pasta with him.

“You couldn’t have come a few moments earlier,” Albus said, though he tucked eagerly into the pasta nonetheless. The sad looking steamed vegetables and the two or three roast potatoes that were left hadn’t nearly been enough.

“I thought I may as well make you suffer for a little while,” Scorpius said, helping himself to a glass of pumpkin juice. Albus was just glad that the incident of last week hadn’t affected him too much. He seemed reassured that his parents were safe, well away from the Wizarding World, and that he had nothing to fear for them.

“You sadist,” Albus said with a laugh, happy to have some decent food in his stomach. His stomach rumbled appreciatively. “How are you doing, anyway?”

“Oh, I’m alright,” Scorpius said with a shrug. Albus glanced at him furtively; he really did look a lot better than he had done just a week ago. The shadows under his eyes were practically non-existent and his hair had quickly returned to its usual, immaculate style. Above all, he seemed genuinely happy, and it was wonderful to see.

“You sure? Last week was pretty hard-going...” Albus said through a mouthful of pasta.

“Well, yeah, I can’t really deny that, but mum and dad are sending me letters everyday and I know they’d never jump headfirst into danger or anything like that...” Scorpius shrugged and took a long swig of his drink.

“I wish my parents were like that,” Albus said with a sigh, “They seem to go looking for danger just as much as it comes looking for them.”

“You seem to be about the only one in your family who hasn’t inherited that trait,” Scorpius pointed out. He was right, of course; Albus would gladly go out of his way to avoid danger and preserve his own life. Maybe it had something to do with being a Slytherin, maybe he really was just that odd.

“Tell me about it. James is swanning off to go be an Auror and all Lily wants is to be a Quidditch player.” Albus had to fight to bite back the sigh that seemed desperate to escape from his lips.

“Lily would be an amazing Quidditch player, you can’t deny it. Have you ever seen her play?” Scorpius had a pensive look across his face as he spoke.

“She’s my sister. Of course I bloody have,” Albus said, “I wouldn’t go to a Quidditch game for just anybody, you know? I didn’t even go to James’ games back when he still came here.”

“I don’t blame you for that,” Scorpius laughed briefly, “But anyway, I was talking to Lily the other day and she said that being a Quidditch player was all she’d ever wanted but at the same time, she was scared about the comparisons she would draw with your mum. I told her to just go for it – she shouldn’t just not follow her dreams for a reason like that.”

“James seems to hold none of those insecurities,” Albus said, then narrowed his eyes in Scorpius’ direction, “Wait. You were talking to my sister again?”

“Uh, yeah,” Scorpius said, “We are friends, after all.”

“Friends?” Albus demanded, scrutinising the expression on his friend’s face very carefully. Albus couldn’t help but feel an irrational sense of jealousy bubble up within him. It wasn’t just that the friendship itself seemed entirely unexpected and out of the blue, it was that his sister was two years younger than him and for the most part, she still needed his protection, as loathe as she was for him to give it, “Is that really all it is?”

“Jesus Christ, Albus,” Scorpius said, crossing his arms and regarding his friend with a peculiar expression, “I am not interested in your sister. At all. Let’s just clear that up right now.”

“You’re sure? Absolutely sure?” Albus demanded. Most of all, he couldn’t quite believe he was having this conversation. It was almost, almost as bad as the time Professor Zabini had asked him about his relationship with Stella. He could only imagine how Scorpius must have been feeling at that exact moment.

“Yes, Albus, I’m sure. Look, there’s Lily now!” He waved her over as she was leaving the hall with some friends. She waved them goodbye and skipped happily over. “Lily, please explain to your dim-witted brother that I am not interested in you and you’re certainly not interested in me.”

Lily didn’t respond right away, as she had doubled over immediately in breathless laughter. After a few moments she straightened up, glanced at the bemused expression on Albus’ face, and fell into a fresh set of giggles. Wiping tears of laughter from her eyes, she patted Albus consolingly on the shoulder.

“Oh, Albus,” She said, grinning widely, “You beautiful oblivious doofus of an older brother, you.”

Albus glanced over to Scorpius, who had his hand across his mouth. His shoulders were shaking rather visibly and Albus knew he, at least, was trying not to be too obvious about his laughter.

“Alright, alright, Albus is an idiot. We’ve all established that. Now, let’s move on with our lives.” Albus couldn’t help but crack a smile himself at that. He couldn’t quite believe the misconceptions he had held only moments prior to this. The very idea of it was ridiculous. “But Lily, if you had your eye on someone, you know you could always come to me for advice, right? After all, I am the only one in a relationship here.”

“Who says I’m not in a relationship?” Lily questioned. Upon seeing her older brother’s face fall, she flounced out of the room before he could get a single word out.

“What does she mean? Who’s she going out with? Scorpius, please!” Albus begged and begged but Scorpius kept his lips pursed, his shoulders still shaking with barely repressed laughter. Albus simply allowed himself a sigh; his friends and family truly were completely insufferable.

-

That Saturday, Albus and his friends headed down to the Forbidden Forest as they had been instructed to do that morning at breakfast, bundled up in coats and hats and scarves. It was only the middle of November, but being up in the depths of the Scottish highlands meant that winter came fast, and it came very, very early. At least it wasn’t raining, Albus reasoned, as he shoved his bare hands into the pockets of his coat.

In front of the Forbidden Forest, in the spot where Albus and the group spent most of their time in the summer, was a series of stands. Clearly the First Task meant the three champions would have to actually enter the Forest, something Albus and his friends had never dared to do in all their years at Hogwarts. He shuddered at the very thought of it.

Albus couldn’t help but yawn as he clambered up the stalls and took his customary seat next to Scorpius. He had had to wake up extremely early that morning, in order to fit in both a visit to his dad and cheering Hogwarts on at the Tournament.

He had been beyond relieved to see that his dad was doing so much better than he had been even just a week ago; he could walk with relative ease, and his scars had, for the most part, healed. The scar on his cheek was still there, glaring angrily down at Albus whenever he dared to look at it, but he assumed he would become accustomed to it in no time at all. His Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione had even been there, and the seven of them had spent a very enjoyable morning eating Hermione’s homemade brownies and playing exploding snap. Albus could almost have forgotten that he was in a hospital were it not for the shrill screams that occasionally floated past the room and the nurses who came to check on Harry every hour or so.

The second he had arrived back at Hogwarts, just in time for lunch, his friends had dragged him out excitedly to the site of the First Task, and that was where he now sat, discussing with Scorpius what he thought might be the point of the Task. Scorpius thought it would have something to do with capturing some creature from the forest; Albus disagreed, and believed it might be a treasure hunt or something of the like.

Within moments, the stands had all been filled up to bursting point, the students from all three schools mingling as if they had known each other for years. Albus beamed widely and kissed Angela on the cheek when she and Nedjma shuffled into the seats on Albus’ other side.

“How was Olivia doing?” Albus asked, glancing about to see if he could see any sign of the three champions; the only activity he saw was various teachers and reporters bustling in and out of a small tent right at the edge of the forest.

“I think she’s pretty nervous but she’s good at hiding it. I hope you’ll forgive me if I cheer for her instead of Samantha,” Angela blushed as she took Albus’ hand in hers. From her other side, Nedjma rolled her eyes and began talking to Henry, another of the Salem students. Albus held her hand gladly, appreciative of the extra warmth it provided.

“Honestly, I think I’d rather support Olivia, I can’t stand...” Albus said, trailing off as a foghorn cut through the collective chatter of a thousand or so students. Everyone watched with eager eyes as Shacklebolt strode onto a little stage that had been erected in front of the stands. He cleared his throat once and the collective student body fell completely silent. Angela squeezed his hand eagerly.

“Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the First Task of this year’s Triwizard Tournament. You’re probably wondering what this is all about,” He gestured vaguely to the Forbidden Forest, “And I am happy to announce that our three Champions will today be partaking in a scavenger hunt through the Forest.”

Albus nudged Scorpius, a smug look on his face. Scorpius simply scowled back before turning to face Shacklebolt again.

“Myself, Madame Bénichou, Professor Cohen, Mr. Corner and Miss Fittleworth will be the judges of this competition. And to ensure our impartialness, we have ensured that there is absolutely no cheating this year. Trust me when I say that if you have cheated, we will find out.” Shacklebolt took a few moments to scrutinise the audience.

“Without further ado, I present our champions!” The stands erupted in rapturous applause as the three students exited the tent. Laurent was sweating profusely; Albus could see that even from a great distance. Olivia looked calm and composed, but her hands were shaking rather badly. Angela and Nedjma waved briefly at her, and she flashed a nervous smile back. Samantha, unlike the other two, seemed completely self-assured. She smiled easily at the audience and the sight of the Forbidden Forest, all dark treetops trailing off into the horizon.

“Each champion will now be presented with a list of items to find in the Forest. The first to return with all items will be crowned the winner. Now, on your marks, get set, go!” The foghorn sounded once again as the three champions darted off into the Forest, swerving through the trees with their pieces of paper clutched tightly in their hands, until they disappeared from sight.

From then on, the First Task was nothing more than a waiting game. Each champion of course had the option of letting off a shower of red sparks if they were in danger, but nothing that interesting ever happened. Scorpius pulled out his customary packet of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans (now with more flavours!), and he, Albus, and Angela spent the rest of the tournament hesitantly making their way through the packet. Bertie Bott’s didn’t exist in America, so they were something of a novelty for her.

“Oh, gross, I can’t believe these are legal!” She spluttered after eating what she had hoped would be a safe strawberry or cherry, “I think that was blood!”

“That’s the joy of it,” Albus said with a laugh as he popped a dark green one into his mouth, frowning hesitantly, “Ugh. Spinach.”

“Will it ever beat that time Rose literally nearly fainted after eating that weird grey one?” Scorpius said, biting back tears of laughter at the memory.

“She never would tell me what flavour it was...” Albus remembered, chuckling at the very memory, “I’m not entirely sure I want to know, either.”

“Is this your cousin?” Angela asked curiously as she apprehensively tried a blue bean, “Mm. Blueberry.”

“Oh, yeah.” Albus said, “Not one of her finer moments.”

“I swear she has it in for me or something,” Angela said with a frown, glancing down the row to where Rose sat with Marcus and Haruko, the three of them all making peculiar, brightly coloured abstract shapes with their wands.

“Nah, that’s just Rose,” Scorpius said, throwing a jellybean in her direction. It bounced off her head and she turned to glare at the three of them. Perhaps it was just Albus’ imagination, but she did seem to be glaring at Angela with a little more ferocity than the two boys.

“Yeah, I think she’s just protective of me,” Albus laughed, “Don’t go breaking my heart, Angela, or you won’t know what’s coming for you.”

“I couldn’t if I tried,” Scorpius said in a singsong voice. Albus turned to peer at him curiously, and he threw his arms up into the air with frustration, “What? It’s a Muggle song! Don’t you people know anything?”

“Ooh, I actually know that one!” Angela said, and the two of them launched into a conversation about their favourite Muggle artists and bands. Albus wanted to join in, but the only Muggle band he knew of was Teddy’s, and even then he only owned one of their t-shirts; it wasn’t like he was their biggest fan.

“You’ll have to show me this one day,” Albus declared, eyes fixed on the outskirts of the Forest in the hope that something interesting might actually happen. Sadly, it didn’t.

“Show you what?” Scorpius asked, squinting in the direction of the Forest himself.

“Music.”

“What, like, all of it?” Scorpius laughed at the very idea of it.

“Yeah. All I know is Wizarding music that mum likes, like Celestina Warbeck or the Weird Sisters. And everyone knows they’re both a bit past their best.” Albus shrugged; when he was younger, he’d never really paid attention to the Wizarding Wireless. He knew he liked music, the way it made him feel and all that, but he had never really given it much more thought.

“Sure,” Scorpius agreed, “I have a load of CDs from when I was younger. You could come round sometime and have a listen.”

“Sounds good,” Albus said, grinning. He was about to say more, but was distracted by Angela grabbing his hand and pointing frantically in the direction of the Forest.

“Is that Olivia?” She questioned, peering into the depths of the trees, where a figure was most definitely emerging, laden with various items, both mundane and spectacular. After ascertaining that it was indeed Olivia, she got to her feet and cheered loudly, along with the rest of the Salem cohort, and Albus and Scorpius, who were reluctant to show Samantha any modicum of support.

Upon reaching the clearing, she dropped all of the items with a triumphant grin and brushed her fringe away from her face. Grudgingly, the rest of the school joined in with the applause. Michael Corner led her up to the small stage where she stood awkwardly, waiting for the other Champions to arrive.

By the time Laurent and Samantha arrived, some ten minutes later, students were beginning to leave the stands in dribs and drabs. Albus was rather disappointed; all three champions had returned intact, though Laurent had a cut across one thigh and the bottom half of one of his trouser legs was ripped beyond repair. Olivia was unequivocally declared the winner, with Laurent as runner up, as Samantha had managed to find all but one of the items on the list.

“Well,” Scorpius said as he and Albus made their way back to school, trailing behind Angela and her friends who were busy congratulating Olivia on her victory, “That was underwhelming.”

“Tell me about it,” Albus agreed, gazing rather wistfully in Angela’s direction, “Maybe the next Task will be more exciting,”

“One can only hope,” Scorpius said, and upon realising the direction of Albus’ gaze, he sighed and rolled his eyes, “Come on lovebird, we’ve got that Defence essay to write or Zabini may actually kill you.”

“Merlin, you don’t need to remind me twice,” Albus said, his face falling in horror. The essay, a 24-inch monstrosity about the benefits of non-verbal spells over verbal spells was one he had been avoiding all week since it had been set. He sighed longingly in Angela’s direction before jogging to catch up with Scorpius, who was strolling determinedly back to the castle.

Today, he reflected, hadn’t been nearly as bad as he reflected. He’d spent a wonderful, rare few hours with his family, as well as watching the Triwizard Tournament with his best friend and his girlfriend. His biggest worry in the world right then was the Defence essay, and he only hoped his fears would stay so small in the future.


	23. Angels

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is named after the song 'angels' by the xx. enjoy!  
> also we're nearly caught up to where i am with posting this on ff.net so updates are probably going to slow way down from now on... sorry guys! i'm writing as fast as i can but it isn't very fast, although i'm taking part in camp nanowrimo this month will help speed me up a bit!  
> earlier i was doing my typical stalking of the scorbus tag on tumblr and i saw someone rec this fic!! so thank you so much, i'm honestly still blushing!!

“The end is unknown, but I think I’m ready, as long as you’re with me”

“I can’t believe I agreed to this,” Albus grumbled as he crossed his arms and leaned back, gazing listlessly up at the sky. The chair in front of his was vacated, so he put his feet up on it, just to be as insolent as possible. The Quidditch pitch was spread out in front of him as players whizzed through the sky, apparently ignorant of the light drizzle that was just beginning to fall. Albus sighed and pulled the hat Rose had given him further down over his face.

“Oh come on, it’s just Quidditch,” Scorpius said brightly from beside him, “And besides, your sister and your cousin are playing. It would’ve been rude of you not to come.”

“I could’ve just asked you for the results. Or Stella. Or anybody, really. I’m cold!” Albus whined. It was late in November, and as such, the sky was already beginning to darken. It made the rain and the biting cold just that little bit worse. He had to admit that the Quidditch game provided him a welcome reprieve from essays and assignments and grades, grades, grades, but he wasn’t about to voice his admission.

“For Merlin’s sake,” Scorpius laughed, pulling out his wand and performing a quick warming charm on the pair of them. “Nice outfit, by the way.”

Albus glared at him sharply. That morning, Rose had insisted he wear her maroon and gold hat as a show of support for her and Astrid. Albus had relented, but it was the final straw when Lily dumped her Hufflepuff scarf on his lap and insisted that he wear that, too. He felt like an absolute fool amongst the green and silver of his own house. At least Scorpius stuck out like a sore thumb, too.

Angela was sat to his left, watching the game intently. She had been a part of her school’s Quidditch team, and had even played for her school in a few national tournaments. When Kingsley had allowed the Salem and Beauxbatons students to form their own teams and play against the four houses at Hogwarts, she had leapt eagerly at the opportunity and was now her school’s Quidditch captain and one of their Chasers. Seeing her enthusiasm warmed Albus’ heart just a little, though that could simply have been Scorpius’ warming charm.

“Hufflepuff are good,” She murmured, “Especially your sister. Does she want to become a professional player? ‘Cause she’s certainly good enough.”

“Uh, yeah, she does, actually,” Albus nodded, “It’d be pretty funny to watch you guys play against each other.”

“Who would you support then?” Scorpius asked, laughing at the horror-stricken expression on Albus’ face. “You’d really be stuck between a rock and a hard place.”

“You say the weirdest things, sometimes.” Albus said. “But of course I would support Angela… Even if it meant being on the receiving end of a bat-bogey hex. Actually, scratch that… I’d be better off supporting neither of you. Sorry,”

“It’s okay,” Angela said in that high, tinkling laugh of hers. Albus couldn’t resist anymore; he leaned forward and kissed her gently on the lips. She smiled and wrapped her arm around his neck, pulling him in even closer. The Quidditch pitch could have blown up right then and there, and Albus didn’t think he could have cared less.

They surfaced a few moments later when Lily scored yet another goal and the stands erupted in cheers, cheeks red and spirits high. Albus expected Scorpius to make some sarcastic comment about the pair of them, but when he turned around to face him, his best friend was nowhere to be seen. Marcus, who had been seated on Scorpius’ other side next to Stella, simply shrugged, as if to say that he had no idea where Scorpius had gone either.

With a roll of the eyes in Marcus’ direction, Albus turned back to Angela, who was intently watching the game again. Albus smiled at her; she was clearly completely enraptured by the game. Her long, dark hair fell across her face but she did nothing to stop it.

“The commentator is useless,” Albus observed, glancing down at the little box where a Fifth Year Ravenclaw student tried hopelessly to keep up with the game, “Can you tell me what the hell is going on?”

“Okay,” She said with a nod, finally brushing her hair from her face., “The rules are slightly different in the US but I’ll see what I can do...”

Angela spent the rest of the game trying to explain to Albus what exactly was happening. For the most part, he actually got the hang of what was going on, but then one of the players would perform some strange move or dive and she would have to start all over again. Eventually, Gryffindor managed to catch the snitch – which Albus failed to see entirely as Angela was trying to explain the Wronsky Feint to him – but Hufflepuff were over 150 points ahead and so were the clear winners of the match.

Albus cheered far more loudly than anyone else in the Slytherin stand when it was revealed that Hufflepuff had won and were, for the time being, in first place. Deep down, he still wanted Slytherin to win, of course, but he realised he wouldn't mind too much if Hufflepuff won the Cup; if anything, his sister deserved it.

Albus and Angela sauntered back to the castle hand in hand against the blazing orange backdrop of the setting sun. The castle looked resplendent with its many towers and turrets all silhouetted. Albus sighed contentedly. At least at Hogwarts, he would always feel like he was at home, like he was somewhere safe and far away from harm. Surely nobody could hurt him or his friends here?

“I’m starving,” Angela said, pressing a hand woefully to her stomach as the pair of them entered the school amidst the bustle of the rest of the school. They almost had to fight their way through the throng to get to the hall. “Luckily we don’t have long to wait.”

“Fingers crossed,” Albus said as he slid into the seat next to Angela at the Slytherin table. Moments later, the group, including Olivia and Nedjma, settled in in the seats around the pair of them, with the notable exception of Astrid, who was probably still consoling her team captain, and Scorpius who had never turned up again after his sudden disappearance.

The group of them were involved in a heated discussion about the pronunciation of the word scone and muttering under their breath about where dinner could possibly be when Scorpius shuffled into the seat next to Albus, his hair windswept as if he’d only just come in from outside.

“Where did you disappear to?” Albus asked, peering at him curiously.

“Oh. I just… Really had to pee,” Scorpius said with a sheepish smile. Albus glanced down at his watch.

“For three hours?”

“Perhaps...”

“You weirdo. Anyway, you came just in time. How do you pronounce the word scone?”

“Not like that!” Scorpius said with a bark of laughter, “It obviously rhymes with gone.”

“Shut up. You’re wrong.” Albus grumbled.

“I agree with Scorpius, actually.” Stella interjected from opposite him, and the argument began all over again.

Eventually, the Quidditch players shuffled into the hall, bedecked in their usual Hogwarts robes, and Albus desperately hoped that dinner would be starting soon. His stomach felt to be on the verge of digesting itself in desperation. His wishes were not granted, however, as Shacklebolt stood at the front of the hall, effectively silencing everybody and no doubt delaying dinner even further.

“Good evening, everybody,” He began. A couple of students muttered a response, “This evening I have a very important announcement to make.”

The noise levels in the room rose by a few decibels as students pondered amongst themselves what this very important announcement could possibly be, until the sharp glares of several teachers caused them to be silent once again.

“Now, as Hogwarts is this year hosting the Triwizard Tournament, it is customary that we also host the Yule Ball, an event which is to be held on Christmas Ever and is open to all students from Fourth Year and above. This year we’re hoping to go all out to make it the best Yule Ball that Hogwarts has seen thus far. Your parents have of course been informed that you shall be remaining at Hogwarts, though if you are desperate to leave – and I can’t say I would blame you – then that option is still available. I only hope that you will all behave in a way that is exeplary to the school and will demonstrate to Beauxbatons and Salem what that Hogwarts spirit is all about.” Shacklebolt nodded once at the room before turning and striding back to his seat at the teacher’s table.

The room immediately exploded in noise and excited chatter, the food that had magically appeared on the tables forgotten even by Albus and his friends. Across the room, younger students were whining about not being old enough to attend whilst the older students were giggling in excitement about outfits and who they thought was going to ask who.

“So that’s why mum gave me those dress robes...” Albus pondered as he scooped a large amount of mashed potato onto his plate, “I should probably try them on or something, make sure they fit...”

“She gave me some too, now I think about it...” Scorpius said, “But I mean, the Yule Ball isn’t for another month so there’s plenty of time.”

“Yeah, but it’s me…” Albus pointed out, “If I don’t do it now, then I probably won’t do it until December 24th, about an hour before the Ball actually starts… and by then it’ll be too late.”

“That’s true,” Scorpius said with a laugh, “You are quite a useless human being.”

“Thanks, I’m… Flattered?” Albus said through a mouthful of mashed potato. Even with his mouth full, he thought he managed to glare at Scorpius pretty effectively.

“Hey, that’s high praise, coming from me.” Scorpius said with a shrug before tucking into his own dinner, “Oh! I never asked – how’s your dad doing?”

“He’s doing good,” Albus said, swallowing his food, “He’s walking normally and all of his scars have healed except for that one on his cheek. Actually, I was there this morning and your parents were there too. I find it kind of weird how well they seem to be getting along.”

“Really?” Scorpius asked, “I find it pretty cool, actually, that they’ve been able to work through the problems from the past and learn to get along with each other. It can’t have been easy.”

“Obviously,” Albus began, “It’s all down to us.”

“Oh, of course.” Scorpius agreed with a grin as he passed Stella a bowl of green beans, “Look at us, mending ties that were broken generations ago. Apparently the Potters and the Malfoys have never gotten along, not for centuries. Yet here we are.”

“Here we are indeed,” Albus nodded as he took a long drink of his ice cold pumpkin juice and sighed contentedly, licking his lips.

“I hope it’s a sign of things to come,” Scorpius mused, “A sign that things are finally changing for the better.”

“I bloody hope so,” Albus said, “It’s about time!”

“I know, right?” Scorpius said, rolling his eyes, before leaning in the whisper in Albus’ ear so that no one could try and eavesdrop, “And I just hope that everything that’s happening at the moment… Diagon Alley, your dad, hopefully they’re just isolated incidents. Outcast idiots who can’t accept that the times have changed.”

“It would be good if that was the case,” Albus nodded, “But I can’t help but get the feeling that we’re not hearing the whole picture. Like, sometimes when I go to visit dad his boss or his colleagues are there, and they’ll all be whispering fervently amongst themselves until me and Lily come in and then they shut up so fast you start to think you imagined it.”

“Yeah, but that’s probably just part of being an Auror...” Scorpius said, though his voice sounded a little shaky and uncertain.

“Let’s stop talking about this,” Albus suggested, “It’s doing us no good.”

“Agreed.”

“So… Who are you asking to the ball?” Albus asked. Scorpius simply shoved him, hard, and turned back to his dinner.

“Come on, tell me!” Albus begged, pouting at him once he had regained his composure.

“Nobody.” He said with a shrug, “There’s… Nobody I want to ask and I doubt anyone would want to go with me.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Albus said, grinning mischievously, “Mairi still won’t shut up about you. I can’t believe Zabini says we have to be with the same partners all year.”

“Dalia isn’t that bad. She mostly just talks about her pet cat, Moxie.” Scorpius looked thoughtful for a few seconds, “She thinks Moxie is her familiar because they both hate milk, but I don’t really know enough about familiars.”

“Well, aren’t you lucky?” Albus said, narrowing his eyes in Scorpius’ direction, “Mairi talks about exactly two things: You, and her hair. I still don’t know why I didn’t drop Defence when I still had the chance...”

“Wait, she really does like me?” Scorpius looked mildly horrified at the idea.

“Oh, yeah. She always asks me about you but I just lie and say I don’t actually know. She’s very interested to know your star sign.” Albus laughed and clapped his friend on the shoulder.  
“I don’t even know my star sign...” Scorpius said as he took one last bite of apple pie before setting his fork onto his plate with a clatter, “Come on, we’ve got that Arithmancy research to finish.”

“Man, I really hate Sixth Year,” Albus said as he let Scorpius pull him to his feet and followed him grumpily out of the hall, blowing a quick kiss to Angela as he went.

-

“I’m going to do it.” Albus glanced up from his Defence work; currently, he was trying to find out more about protego charms, to look at Mairi curiously. She had her wand clenched in her hand as she stared wistfully at the other side of the room to where Scorpius and Dalia sat, no doubt deep in conversation about cats and familiars.

“What?” Albus asked, after making sure Zabini was nowhere near the pair of them. As it was, he was shouting at Stella and Jasper, who had been less than surreptitious in their giggling and flirting.

“I’m going to ask Scorpius to the Yule Ball.” She said, nodding to herself. It was only yesterday that Shacklebolt had announced the Yule Ball, and already rumours were spreading and everyone was gossiping about who was obviously going to ask who.

“Oh. Right.” Albus said. She’d been talking about that since the very beginning of the lesson, but Albus had quickly tuned her out as he did in most defence lessons, unless they had to actually work together, in which case she wasn’t too bad a partner, provided that she could shut up about Scorpius for a few moments of course.

“Do you think I should?” She asked, sighing as she looked over her work and scribbling out a few of the words.

“Why not?” Albus said, scribbling frantically on his own piece of parchment.

“Do you think he’ll say yes?” She asked, twirling her hair around her finger.

“Dunno.” Albus answered truthfully.

“You don’t know?” She demanded, “Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?”

“He might,” Albus said, “I mean, there’s no harm in asking.”

“You’re right. I’m being an idiot.” Mairi said. When Albus said nothing, she continued, “Does my hair look alright?”

“It looks fine,” Albus said without looking up from his work. “Do you have the year the protego charm was first recorded being used?”

“Oh, yeah, it’s 1642.” Mairi said, “What about you, then?”

“What about me?” Albus asked, hastily jotting down the date in his messy handwriting.

“Who are you taking to the Ball?” She leaned over, peering at him curiously. Albus suppressed a sigh.

“Well, Angela’s my girlfriend, so… She’s the obvious choice.” Albus answered. He hadn’t had a chance to see her since last night, but it was lunch next. Perhaps he could ask her then.

“You guys are so cute together,” Mairi gushed, her eyes glazed over as she leaned on one hand, gazing thoughtfully into the distance, “Oh, I can’t wait to see what you two will both be wearing at the Ball. I can’t wait to see what everyone’ll be wearing.”

“Oh yeah, you and me both,” Albus said as he finished off his essay with a satisfied smirk. At that moment, Zabini dismissed the class. Albus swept his things haphazardly into his bag and strolled out of the room, handing his essay to the professor as he went. Outside, he joined Scorpius, who was waiting for everyone else to leave. When the pair of them saw Mairi approaching, striding towards them determinedly, Scorpius’ eyes went wide as if with fear. Albus clapped him on the shoulder and laughed at the expression on his face.

“Hey, Scorpius,” She said brightly, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and Albus tried to stifle the laughter that bubbled up in his chest.

“Hey...” Scorpius greeted her with as little enthusiasm as Albus had ever seen from him.

“So, Scorpius, I was wondering,” She stepped forwards, blinking up at him. Albus couldn’t help but notice Scorpius take a step back, and rolled his eyes at him. At that moment, Rose and Stella left the room arm in arm, giggling with each other. When they saw the situation Scorpius was in, they clutched at each other harder and fixed Albus with a look that meant he’d be telling them everything later, or else.

“Uh.. Yeah?”

“Do you want to be my date to the Yule Ball?” She asked, biting her lip in a mildly suggestive way. Scorpius just looked faintly ill at the idea of it all.

“I don’t think that’s the best idea...” He said, “Sorry.”

“Right,” She said her face falling, “Well. If you change your mind, I’m always here.”

“Ouch.” Albus said as she turned and marched away down the corridor without a glance back.

“Let’s go to lunch, I’m starving.” Scorpius said, hefting his satchelbag onto his shoulder. Albus couldn’t possibly have agreed more, and scurried along after him. When they reached the hall, however, it was heaving with people just as desperate to get their lunch, and they were forced to sit on their respective House tables.

“What was that all about?” Stella asked as Albus wolfed down a couple of sandwiches; their lunch break wasn’t nearly long enough. Albus recounted what had happened in great detail in between bites of tuna mayonnaise as Stella and Marcus more or less howled with laughter together.

“You’re never going to let him live it down, are you?” Albus asked, grinning.

“Never!” She laughed, “You know, Mairi used to have a massive crush on Jasper. She’s not very subtle, is she?”

Albus was about to reply when someone tapped him on the shoulder. Turning, he saw Angela, who winked at him and beckoned him to follow her. With an apologetic look in his best friends’ direction, he got to his feet and followed her, out of the claustrophobic, overly warm hall and into a little alcove tucked away inside the entrance hall.

“So,” She began, grinning at him as she took a seat on the little wooden bench that made the enclave so popular among the older students.

“Why do I get the feeling I know what this is about?” Albus teased, taking the seat next to her.

“Because you’re not a completely oblivious idiot?” She asked, smiling sweetly at him. Albus resisted the urge to punch her as he would his friends in a situation like this.

“Are you implying that I’m still partly an oblivious idiot?” Albus asked, feeling his cheeks warm up as Angela took his hand in hers.

“Well, you are a boy, aren’t you?” She said with another wink.

“You know, I may be less inclined to say yes to whatever it is you’re about to say, if you carry on like that,” Albus began, a roll of the eyes directing his gaze upwards, “Hey, is that mistletoe? It’s not even December yet!”

“It’s near enough,” Angela mumbled. Her face was close to his, only inches away, and Albus could see in clear detail every mark on her face. Her brown eyes were wide and sparkling in the low light, and on her cheek Albus noticed a stray eyelash, which he brushed away gently. “Albus, will you be my date to the Yule Ball?”

“Nothing would give me greater pleasure.” Albus responded, leaning in expectantly. She smiled back, and as their lips met, he closed his eyes and let himself be swept away in the moment. Her lips were soft and urgent, and for a few moments Albus allowed himself to just get lost in the feeling of her kiss. It was perfect; everything he had ever thought any kiss would ever be.

Albus had no idea how much time had passed, it could have been hours or days or mere seconds, but then Angela was pulling away, her cheeks flushed. She looked even more beautiful than she had a few moments before, and for Albus that was really saying something. She glanced to the side, her lips parting in a grin, when suddenly she jumped as if startled.

“Oh, hey Scorpius. I didn’t see you there,” Angela said, giggling softly. Albus followed her gaze to find his best friend standing there awkwardly, half hidden by the stone wall of the little enclave, his mouth half open as if he was about to speak.

“Scor!” Albus exclaimed, jumping away from Angela as if burned and clambering to his feet. The three of them stood there in the entrance hall for a few seconds in uncomfortable silence as students streamed past them on their way to lessons. Albus covertly checked his watch; lessons would be starting in just three minutes. In that respect, it was quite a relief that Scorpius had come and found him.

“What are you doing here, anyway?” Albus asked him, noticing the redness of his cheeks and the awkwardness of his stance. H looked like he wanted nothing more than to be away from the pair of them.

“I was just, uh – Just trying to find you. I wanted to ask about that Potions assignment.” Scorpius blurted out, wincing as if even he realised how feeble his excuse sounded. Something clicked in Albus’ brain and he knew he had to get his best friend alone.

“Scorpius!” He said with a groan, “Could that not have waited ‘till this afternoon? We have Herbology now, anyway. We should probably get going. I’ll see you at dinner, okay?”

With one last chaste kiss on Angela’s cheek, he and Scorpius headed to Herbology. Once outside, Albus took in a deep breath of the fresh Scottish air and rounded on his friend.  
“So, I think I know what that was all about.” Albus said matter-of-factly. Scorpius came to an abrupt stop, his eyes wide and frightened.

“Uh.. You do?” Scorpius asked, looking just a little short of absolutely horrified. His cheeks went somehow a little paler.

“Yep. I get it mate, really, I do.”

“Really?” Scorpius said hesitantly.

“Of course. You’ve got a thing for Angela.” Albus grabbed Scorpius by the arm and urged him to keep walking. They were already running slightly late, and he knew Professor Longbottom would probably write a scathing letter to his parents if he showed up any later.

“Wait, what?” Scorpius asked, suddenly erupting in a fit of laughter.

“Why are you laughing? It makes perfect sense.” Albus said, frowning at his friend, who was still chuckling to himself, “You always look grossed out when me and Angela kiss, or you just do a disappearing act. You turned Mairi down. Obviously, you must like Angela. Maybe you didn’t realise it yourself.”

“Albus, no offence to your girlfriend, but I do not have a thing for Angela.” Scorpius said once he had collected himself together enough to speak coherently.

“Then what’s with your weird behaviour?” Albus asked, speeding up a little. Scorpius jogged alongside him for a little while to keep up despite his taller stature.

“How grossed out would you be if you came across me making out with my… Hypothetical girlfriend all the time?” At the face Albus made at the idea of that, he simply nodded, “Exactly. PDA is gross if you’re not the one participating in it. As for Mairi, well… Can you blame me?”

“I suppose not,” Albus responded grudgingly, annoyed at himself for getting things so miraculously mixed up. Maybe Angela was right; he was a completely oblivious idiot, “Sorry.”

“It’s alright,” Scorpius said with one last laugh, “Now come on, before we give Professor Longbottom any more reason to give you a detention.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Albus yelled after Scorpius as he took off in a run towards Greenhouse 8. With a sigh at his perpetually crazy, messed up life, Albus followed after him, praying that he would never make such an idiot of himself like that again.

Although, he admitted, with everything that was happening in his life, surely he was allowed to be a completely oblivious teenage boy from time to time. It made life all that little bit more interesting.


	24. Various Storms & Saints

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is named after the song 'various storms and saints' by florence + the machine, and means we're all caught up with fanfiction.net. updates should be weekly from here on in. :)

“Some things you let go of, in order to live”

December passed by quite uneventfully, for the most part. Harry was at last discharged from St. Mungo’s, and jumped straight back into his work as Head Auror. The thought of him out searching for dark witches and wizards filled Albus with a distinct sense of dread and anxiety, and he knew he and Lily would both miss the Saturday mornings that they got to spend with their dad and which they had both become quite accustomed to.

He felt a terrible pang of sadness when he got out of bed nice and early the Saturday before the end of term only to realise that he wouldn’t be seeing his dad that day; indeed, he probably wouldn’t be seeing him until the summer holidays rolled back around. With a lethargic sigh, Albus pulled his robes on and hurried down to the common room when he realised that Marcus must have already gotten up. For once, Scorpius hadn’t come to spend the night in the Slytherin dorm, and the room felt almost empty without him, like it was incomplete somehow.

He was trudging through the common room, yawning into his hands and thinking wistfully of the steaming mug of coffee awaiting him at the breakfast table, when he was accosted by Marcus and Stella, who greeted him with far too much enthusiasm considering the time of day and dragged him over to the noticeboard without another word.

“What? Wizard chess club is starting up again? I don’t get why you think I’d be interested...” Albus blinked sleepily as he tried to read the noticeboard but the large flashing sign for wizard chess took up all of his attention.

“No, you idiot...” Stella laughed ripped off the gaudy poster with a distasteful frown and chucked it into the bin. A student on the other side of the room made a noise of complaint but she just stuck her finger up at him and he quickly quietened down, “Do you see it now? Are you sure you don’t need glasses?”

“It’s there,” Marcus said, pointing to a small, unassuming piece of paper in the very far corner of the board. Albus blinked a couple of times to focus his eyes; perhaps he really did need glasses - then grinned as he read the notice and finally took all of the information in.

“Apparition lessons! At last!” He leaned in and read the notice more closely. Lessons were to begin that Friday evening, and to resume after the Christmas holidays. Albus was already practically buzzing with excitement; he had been wanting to learn how to apparate for years now, if only because he knew how much it might irritate Lily. James had certainly used it as a tool to annoy him once or twice over the last two summers. Albus signed his name eagerly, and wondered where he had left his wallet so that he would be able to pay the twelve Galleon sum.

“I know right! You two are both so lucky though,” Stella said with a frown.

“Why?” Albus asked, glancing at Marcus, who looked just as dumbfounded.

“Well, Al, your birthday’s next week, right? And Marcus, yours was back in September.” She glared at them accusingly, as if somehow their dates of birth were entirely their own faults, “My birthday isn’t ‘till July so I won’t be able to get my licence until then. The pair of you could pretty much apparate already.”

“Yeah,” Albus interjected, “But it’s not like we’ll be able to. They have anti-apparition wards in Hogwarts, remember?”

“Yes, of course I remember, I’m not a complete idiot,” Stella rolled her eyes, “It’s just not fair.”

“Whatever you say, Stella,” Marcus said, laughing. Seconds later, Stella pulled her wand from her pocket and pretended to hex Marcus. In minutes, the pair of them were having a full-on fake duel in the common room. Even the younger students were glaring at them as they dodged each other’s harmless strikes. Sometimes Albus wondered if his friends were actually sixteen or seventeen going on eight.

“Come on, you pair of loonies, let’s get down to the hall. I’m starving.” Albus said, prising them apart as they abandoned their wands and tackled each other to the floor, “Also, you’re embarrassing me.”

“Us? Embarrassing? He has a lot of nerve. Let’s hex him instead.” Albus bit back a sigh as his friends attempted to corner him, but having been friends with them for over five years now, he knew that the only way to get them to stop was simply to play along. He feinted left, and then ducked to the right, almost leaping through the door out of the common room and pushing past a group of Second Years who didn’t even complain as he shoved roughly past them.

“For Merlin’s sake!” Albus heard Stella call from behind him as he sprinted down the corridor and up the stairs. His destination was of course the hall, and the breakfast and coffee that would be there just waiting for him, and if running away from his crazy, impossible friends helped get him there faster, then so be it. 

He reached the hall dizzy, out of breath, and more than a little light-headed, but his friends were nowhere to be seen. Grinning to himself, he entered the hall and took a seat at the Gryffindor table opposite Rose and Scorpius, ignoring the way the room was shifting and heaving slightly.

“What’s up with you?” Rose asked, as Albus desperately tried to regulate his breathing. It was quite a startling realisation that he was really rather unfit; after all, he didn’t do Quidditch, and Hogwarts didn’t offer many alternative opportunities for sport. He considered the idea of joining Astrid on one of her regular morning jogs around the castle grounds, then glanced outside at the howling wind and battering rain and shuddered at the very thought.

“I ran all the way here,” Albus said breathlessly, as he poured himself a coffee with shaking hands. 

“Why?” Scorpius asked, peering at him suspiciously, but his question was answered for him as Stella and Marcus ran full tilt into the hall, chests heaving with laughter as they paused for a few seconds to search for Albus, who they spotted almost immediately.

“Only Merlin can save me now...” Albus muttered as they rushed over to him and tackled him out of his chair. Luckily he had made the wise decision to put his coffee down beforehand as he landed on the floor with a sharp, but altogether not too painful thud. The next few moments were a blur of tickling and laughter and teenage stupidity, until an abrupt cough brought them all back to reality.

Professor Zabini stood towering over the three of them as they wrestled on the floor. Albus jumped to his feet immediately, grabbing Marcus’ hand and pulling him up as well. Stella’s cheeks were bright purple and she was looking anywhere but in her father’s direction. Albus glanced at Scorpius, who winked at him and turned back to his breakfast nonchalantly, leaving Albus to fight back a smirk.

“Really?” Professor Zabini demanded, regarding the three of them. The hall had fallen into a hushed silence, and Albus felt his own cheeks begin to heat up, “If it weren’t bad enough that the three of you are Sixth Years, but from my own house? My own daughter?”

“I’m sorry, dad, we were just – letting off a bit of steam.” Stella said, gazing determinedly at the floor. Marcus had turned pale and seemed to be staring at nothing in particular.

“Not that I don’t understand how that feels, Stella, but I’m going to have to take Housepoints off you all.” Albus risked a glance in Zabini’s direction and realised that he, too, was quite obviously fighting to keep the smile from his face, “10 points from Slytherin for each of you. And next time you wish to… Tussle… At least try not to do it in such a public place.”

“I’m sorry, dad.” Stella mumbled. Albus and Marcus echoed the sentiment with a grumbled “Sorry, Professor.”

“Now, go enjoy your breakfast,” Zabini said, ruffling Stella’s hair. For once she didn’t even try to stop him, “And don’t forget to write to your mother. She tells me you write less and less these days.”

“Of course, dad. Sorry, dad.” As he strode away to the teacher’s table, she stuck her tongue out at him before sliding into the seat next to Albus, who picked up his coffee mug and downed the rest of it in one.

“Well, there’s one thing I can say for certain,” Rose said, regarding the three of them with a cool expression, before her lips quirked up, “Things are never boring around here.”

“Oh, we’d never let things get boring, would we?” Scorpius said, as everyone laughed. Albus watched his friends carefully, considering them each in turn, as he tucked into his breakfast. Life certainly wouldn’t be the same without them, and he couldn’t possibly begin to fathom such a life.

-

The next Friday evening, after dinner, Albus found himself in the hall, which had been cleared of all of the tables and chairs, with a large group of other equally nervous looking Sixth Years. His little group stood apart from the rest, whispering amongst themselves and wondering how long it would be before one of them was able to apparate. The Heads of Houses stood among them, glancing sharply at all of the students. It may just have been Albus’ imagination, but he was certain that they were all glaring at his group the most, likely due in no part to his, Stella’s, and Marcus’ escapades a few days before.

Scorpius and Albus were making a bet between them about who would be the first to successfully apparate when Mairi approached them, smiling shyly.

“Hey, Scorpius,” She said in a blasé tone of voice, ‘I was wondering if you’d thought any more about my offer to go to the Yule Ball.”

“Um.” Scorpius’ eyes went wide with shock, “I’m sorry, I don’t think that’s the best -”

“Why not?” She asked, sticking out her bottom lip, “Are you going with someone else?”

“Well, no, but -”

“Then surely you could go with me.” She interrupted, smiling widely at him. 

“No, I’m sorry. Like I said, I don’t think -” Scorpius began, only to be cut off immediately. He crossed his arms angrily and Albus found himself glancing around the hall in search of the Ministry official who was supposed to be teaching them. At least when he arrived this whole ordeal could be over.

“But you said you’d think about it, and I’ve given you plenty of time.” She blinked up at him through long eyelashes, but Scorpius just looked faintly ill at the very thought of it, “Please.”

Albus had had enough.

“He said no, alright?” Albus said, stepping in between the two of them. Mairi just rolled her eyes and stalked back to her group of Ravenclaw girls, who whispered obviously to each other as they glanced back in Scorpius’ direction.

“Thanks,” Scorpius said sincerely.

“S’no problem,” Albus replied, glancing at his watch and watching the teachers cautiously as they whispered to each other, “Where’s the teacher? He’s five minutes late already.”

At that exact moment, the Ministry official swept into the room, immediately commanding the attention of all the students in the room. There was complete silence as he dumped his satchel bag and his hat on a discarded chair and took his place at the very front of the hall, clearing his throat.

“Good evening, everybody,” He began, clearing his throat once again. He was an altogether entirely unimpressive man, dressed in robes of colourless grey, with combed back grey hair and a dull complexion. Even his voice was lifeless and dull as he continued, “My name is Mac Haringey, and I am to be your Ministry Apparition Instructor. After twelve weeks, the majority of you should be able to take your test.”

Stella grumbled under her breath at this, but stopped at a side-eyed look from her father.

“As you perhaps already know,” He droned on as Albus fought back a yawn, “It is not possible to Apparate or Disapparate within the grounds of Hogwarts. To attempt to do so would be… Most unwise. Headmaster Shacklebolt has lifted this enchantment within the hall only, for the duration of our lessons.”

“I think I’m falling asleep,” Scorpius muttered from beside Albus. He was leaning against the wall for support, blinking sleepily up at the Ministry official. Albus snorted; he too felt on the brink of sleep.

“Now, I would like each of you to place yourselves so that there’s a space of five feet all around you.” Haringey announced as students jostled each other about in order to find the best space. Albus and Scorpius stayed near the back of the hall, mostly so that if they needed to, they could fall asleep. Sure, it would be beyond exciting to be able to apparate, but with this man as their teacher, Albus wasn’t sure he cared.

“Thank you,” Haringey announced, clearing his throat as he surveyed the hall. There was still a little scuffle in the middle of the room where students were githing each other for space, but after the Heads of Houses had intervened, everything was calm once more. Haringey waved his wand and wooden hoops appeared on the floor in front of each student, “Now then. The important things to remember when Apparating are the three Ds. Can anybody tell me what those are?”

The students glanced at each other warily, no one daring to put their hand up, until Rose rolled her eyes and answered, “The three Ds of Apparition are Destination, Determination, and Deliberation.”

“Indeed,” He simply nodded and continued in his dull, lecturing tone of voice. Slowly, he took them through the three steps necessary to be able to disapparate. Albus stared blankly into his hoop, desperately trying to summon what little determination he had to be inside of it, and, when Haringey gave the command, he turned on the spot, falling immediately onto the floor, his head spinning.

Next to him, Scorpius was lying flat on his back, shaking with laughter as he tried to pull himself back upright. Albus took pity on him and helped pull him to his feet, and together they watched the rest of the room as they all failed miserably and hilariously to apparate into their hoops.

“No worries.” Haringey said, without even the faintest hint of a smirk on his face, unlike the four Heads of Houses. Professor Longbottom’s face was bright red with the effort of keeping the laughter from his face, “There’s a reason this course is twelve weeks long. To expect any of you to apparate at this early stage would be… Unreasonable.”

An hour and what felt like several hundred attempts later, and nothing exciting had happened, except when Haringey himself had demonstrated Apparition to them all by disappearing and then reappearing five feet away from where he had previously been. Albus just felt slightly queasy and never wanted to see a wooden hoop ever again.

“Well, that was disappointing.” Scorpius said as everyone shuffled out of the hall and to their respective common rooms. Stella and Rose, who had tagged along as they lingered in the entrance hall, nodded in agreement. Rose had a hint of a scowl across her face.

“I thought I’d nearly got it, though.” She said, crossing her arms with frustration, “I felt a definite tingling up my legs.”

“Lucky you,” Albus said dryly, “I just felt sick from all that ridiculous spinning around.”

“We’ll get there eventually, I’m sure.” Stella reassured, but no one was particularly convinced. They had all been expecting to start apparating right away.

“Hey, I was thinking,” Scorpius began as students began shuffling back to their dorms, “It’s your birthday on Sunday, Albus.”

“Is it? I hadn’t realised,” Albus said, grumbling as Stella whacked him in the arm.

“Whatever,” Scorpius laughed, “But you threw a party for me -”

“Yeah, and look how successful that was,” Rose pointed out. Scorpius levelled Rose with a glare for a few seconds before continuing.

“And I think it’s only fair if I throw a party for you.” Scorpius grinned as Stella clapped her hands together in excitement. As they were talking, the rest of the group had sauntered over to join them, and word of a party spread like wildfire.

“Sounds good.” Albus said, feeling his heart swell with joy at the very idea of his best friend hosting a birthday party for him “But tell me no more. Unlike you, I actually enjoy surprises.”

“Fine. My lips are sealed.” Scorpius mimed zipping his lips shut before turning to leave, “Goodnight, everyone. Apparently I have a party to plan.” 

Albus watched him go, talking animatedly with Rose and Astrid, no doubt about the party, before smiling to himself and turning to go back to the Slytherin common room with Stella and Marcus, wondering what his party could possibly be like. From the way Stella and Marcus seemed to be fighting to keep their mouths shut, it was clear that they had already known, and that thought made Albus smile even harder as he got ready for bed, already buzzing with excitement at his imminent birthday.

-

“So,” Angela said, sliding into the seat next to his that evening at dinner, “I hear you’re having a birthday party tonight.”

“Apparently so,” Albus said, grinning.

“And you didn’t even tell me it was your birthday today?” Angela asked as she helped herself to food.

“It may have… Slipped my mind,” Albus admitted with a shrug.

“But I could’ve gotten you something! I feel like a terrible girlfriend now.” Angela pouted.

“You didn’t need to get me anything, honestly,” Albus assured her, leaning over to kiss her gently on the cheek, “Your presence is the only present I need.”

“Oh, disgusting,” Angela giggled, pulling away from him, “That really was terrible. If I didn’t like you nearly so much I’d be tempted to just walk away and never look back.”

“You know you could never do that,” Albus said, smiling indulgently at her and leaning in to kiss her on the lips. He hadn’t really gotten the chance to see Angela all week, as they had both been preoccupied with their end of term tests.

“Gross!” Rose called from opposite the pair of them, throwing a chip in their direction. Albus, in a show of surprisingly fast reflexes he wasn’t aware he possessed, managed to catch the chip and ate it while smiling smugly in Rose’s direction. Everyone around them collapsed in a fit of giggles.

“Anyway,” Angela said, once the raucous laughter surrounding them had died down, “Have you had a nice birthday so far?”

“It’s been wonderful,” Albus said, smiling to himself as he thought back on the day. He had woken up to find Scorpius, Rose, Marcus, and Stella all perched on the foot of his bed with a pile of presents. They had insisted that he open them immediately, and so he had, ripping eagerly at the wrapping paper while still on the brink of sleep. Stella had even brought him some coffee, which he’d slurped eagerly as he admired their presents, wondering what he could possibly have done to deserve such wonderful friends.

While his birthday wasn’t, of course, all about the presents, he had to admit that they contributed rather a lot to his current happiness. From his parents he had received several new t-shirts and the reassurance that his father was settling back into work and home life. From Stella and Marcus he received a coffee maker and some fancy coffee to go along with it. He had rolled his eyes in their direction as he set it carefully on his bedside table. Rose had kindly given him several books on Herbology and Potions; books seemed to be the only present she ever gave anybody, the only way she knew to express her love for someone.

From Scorpius he had received a massive, hardback book all about philosophy. He thumbed through the pages eagerly, thinking back to all those late-night conversations where he had tried to explain his thoughts about the wonders and mysteries of the universe. It really was the most perfect gift Scorpius could have gotten him, and he resolved to read it the moment he had the choice. 

Albus was shaken from his reverie by Angela, who squeezed his hand and pulled him to his feet before leading him out of the hall.

“Where are we going?” He asked, following her eagerly.

“I’ve been told to keep you distracted for a little while,” She said, winking at him.

“That shouldn’t be hard.” Albus replied with a laugh as she led him outside. He glanced back inside briefly, certain that he had felt eyes on the back of his head, that warm, uncomfortable, prickling feeling, but his friends were all heading in the opposite direction. Albus shrugged and jogged to keep up with Angela.

They didn’t do much; just sat outside in the protective bubble of a warming spell, watching the stars above them. Albus swore he could see the very Milky Way itself, and wished he paid more attention in Astronomy. The pair of them sat hand in hand in comfortable silence for a little while, until Angela glanced at her watch and realised they were running slightly behind schedule.

“Come on, let’s go!” She said, pulling Albus to his feet and tugging frantically on his hand. “We’re going to miss the party, and I can’t be caught out here much later than this!”

They ran through the castle, past suits of armour bedecked in tinsel and holly wreaths decorating doors, until they came to an old Muggle studies classroom on the third floor that Albus didn’t think had been used in years. He heard a pounding rhythm from inside the room and grinned at Angela, who knocked on the door.

There was sudden silence as a pale face appeared at the door. Astrid’s eyes went wide as she spotted the pair before slamming the door shut. Albus heard the sounds of harsh whispering from the classroom before the door was opened once more and Astrid let him in.

“Happy birthday!” The room erupted in cheers and shouts as Albus entered. He felt heat rise in his cheeks and whilst he had been expecting this, somehow the real thing was much more mortifying. He let seemingly endless streams of people come up to him and congratulate him and hand him presents, which he gratefully put on a chair next to the door.

“How many people did you invite?” Albus asked once he had found Scorpius lingering around the snack table awkwardly with a drink in his hand.

“Everyone I could think of, really.” He said, with a shrug. Albus surveyed the crowd as he nicked a couple of crisps.

“Really? You even invited Mairi?” He wondered as he spotted his Defence partner at the other end of the room with her Ravenclaw friends.

“Uh… No.” Scorpius said as he spotted her across the room and rubbed his temple, “I invited Dalia but she must have brought Mairi with her.”

“Careful,” Albus said with a wink, “She might just ask you to the Yule Ball again.”

“I’m kind of tempted to just say yes,” Scorpius admitted, “I mean, no one else is going to ask me, are they?”

“You could always ask someone, you know?” Albus pointed out. Scorpius just made a disgusted face at the very idea of it. Grabbing a few more crisps, Albus said, “Right, well, in that case, I’ll leave you to it. Stay safe and don’t drink too much.”

“Shove off, Albus,” Scorpius said with a laugh as Albus tried his best to look as innocent as possible before taking a step to turn away and find Angela again in the crowd. When he saw Mairi approaching the table, however, he decided it might be best to linger for a little while, after all.

“Happy birthday, Albus,” She said as she reached over and pilfered a couple of chocolates from the table, seemingly completely blanking Scorpius, who was looking everywhere but in their direction. “Great party.”

“Thanks, but I can’t take any of the credit,” He said, nudging his friend, “It was all down to Scorpius here.”

“Oh, really?” She said, not entirely enthusiastically. Upon glancing up and seeing Albus’ expression, however, she grinned. Albus nodded subtly, feeling somewhat like a matchmaker. The thought wasn’t entirely pleasant, “Well then, congratulations, Scorpius, this is an awesome party.”

“Oh, uh, thanks, Mairi.” Scorpius said, taking an almost frantic swig of his drink. From beside him, Albus rolled his eyes, wondering how his friend managed to make such a mess of love and relationships. It was easy.

“So, uh, last time, I promise – Do you want to go to the Yule Ball with me?” She flushed, seeming slightly flustered. 

“You know what? Yes, I would.” Scorpius said as Mairi squealed with excitement. Albus smiled smugly as Scorpius continued, “I’ve thought a lot about it and I’ve decided that it’s an excellent idea.”

“I know, right!” Mairi enthused, beaming widely at him. Albus decided then and there that it was his cue to leave, as he was beginning to feel as awkward as Scorpius looked.

“Let me know how it goes,” He said with a wink as he delved back into the crowd in search of his girlfriend. Instead, he was stopped by Rose.

“What’s going on with Scorpius?” She asked, peering behind him to the snack table where he and Mairi were presumably still standing. 

“He said yes to Mairi,” Albus said, “At last.”

“He did what now?” Rose narrowed her eyes in his direction, ‘He told me he’d do no such thing.”

“I mean, it’s not really up to you to make that decision for him,” Albus said, gulping as Rose fixed him with one of her infamous glares.

“Yes, Albus, I’m aware. I’m not his mother,” She said sharply, “I just don’t think it’s the right decision.”

“Again, he can make his own mistakes,” Albus said, feeling strangely defensive. Rose opened her mouth, then closed it again, still glaring intently at Albus.  
“You know what? Forget it!” Without another word, she strode off. Albus watched her go and join Lily, and the pair of them stood with their heads close, talking intently amongst themselves. Albus sighed and set off to find Angela again, as per his original intention.

He found her with her Salem friends, all talking and laughing animatedly. Albus spent the rest of his birthday party with them, laughing and drinking and talking about this and that and all sorts of inconsequential things before everyone decided it was time to call it quits. He was only half there, however, as he spent most of the time looking out surreptitiously for his best friend. And if he felt a slight twinge of jealousy at seeing Mairi flirt so obviously with him from across the room; well, Scorpius was his best friend, and it was natural to feel protective of him.


	25. Despair, Hangover & Ecstasy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is named after the song 'despair, hangover, and ecstasy' by the dø! all of these are things that albus will feel in this chapter and the next. ;) this was one of the first chapters i ever wrote back when this was still just a series of one shots, and it is one of my favourites, for reasons that i'm sure will become clear :)

"We're breaking promises we thought we could keep, we'll trigger avalanches unknowingly"

At last, it was Christmas Eve, and for once, Hogwarts was abuzz with action. The Great Hall had been closed off since lunch, the students herded out the second the bell would have rung for afternoon lessons on an ordinary school day. Albus and his friends had tried to sneak a peak, but upon seeing them lingering in the Entrance Hall, Professor Longbottom successfully herded them out into the open air, where snow was just beginning to fall.

"This is rubbish," Albus said as he tried fruitlessly to gather a snowball up from the light dusting on the ground just outside the castle doors. He and his friends had tried and failed to start up a snowball fight, and had soon conceded defeat.

"We should probably start getting ready, I think." Scorpius said. Albus scoffed.

"You're kidding, right?" He asked, chucking the pathetic excuse of a snowball in his direction. It hit Scorpius in the shoulder but he didn't even seem to feel it; he just glared sharply in Albus' direction, "There's another, like, three hours 'till it starts."

"Okay, I am a bit," Scorpius admitted, "But I'm really cold!"

"You should've brought your coat," Albus said, as he tried to catch the snowflakes on his tongue.

"You're one to talk," Scorpius said, nodding in Albus' direction. Sure, he was just wearing his Weasley jumper and a scruffy pair of old jeans, but he enjoyed the cold. In some way, he even relished it. It felt clean and crisp, like he could free himself from the burden of his family's legacy for just a little while when he was out in the cold, just breathing in the fresh air.

"There's only three hours 'till it starts?" Stella screeched suddenly from next to Albus, "Oh God, that's nowhere near enough time… I'm going to look like such a mess..."

"Only three hours? Really?" Rose looked horrified, "I didn't think that snowball fight was that good…"

"Come on, we'd better go get ready." Astrid said, taking Rose's arm in hers and marching back towards the castle, "We're all getting ready in the Gryffindor dorm."

"Thank god I'm not a girl," Scorpius muttered as Stella whacked him on the arm on the way past. "Although… Getting ready in my dorm doesn't sound very tempting."

"You can come get ready with me and Marcus," Albus suggested, glancing at his friend, who was watching Stella as she disappeared into the castle, "Right, mate?"

"Huh?" Marcus said, being shaken from his reverie, "Of course. The more the merrier, right?"

"Exactly!" Albus said, beaming.

"Okay, but can we go inside now? I think I have frostbite in my toes." Scorpius moaned, rubbing his hands together and breathing on them in a desperate attempt to get warm.

"Fine. We'll go to your dorm to pick up your suit, then we'll go to our dorm. That'll give us enough time, right?" Everyone nodded at him, so Albus sighed and reluctantly headed inside. His thoughts immediately turned to the Yule Ball itself; he couldn't wait to see the hall all decorated, and wondered if it would be even more lavish than it usually was at Christmas, which was already rather spectacular.

-

Half an hour later, the three boys were heading back into the Slytherin dorm, Scorpius with his dress robes in a bag at his side. All three were stopped short, however, upon entering the common room and seeing Mairi standing there awkwardly amongst the Slytherin students. When she spotted Scorpius, however, she brightened immediately and rushed over.

"I got told you'd probably be in here," She said, smiling sweetly at him and twirling her hair around her finger, "And here you are!"

"Here I am indeed," Scorpius observed dryly, "What's that you've got there?"

"Oh, it's a sprig of lavender," She said, handing it to him, "If you put it in your lapel… Or anywhere, really, it'll match my dress."

"Thanks," He said, taking the flower from her carefully, "See you later then, I guess."

"Yep! I can't wait!" She practically squealed with happiness as she smiled at Scorpius before leaving the room. Scorpius scrutinised the flower in his hand before shrugging and chucking it into the bin that was beside him.

Upon realising that Albus and Marcus were staring at him with twin expressions of horror, he clarified, "I'll just tell her I've lost it or something if she asks."

"You're a terrible boyfriend, already." Albus said, laughing and shaking his head as they headed up to the dorm, wondering if Angela should have given him a flower, if it was some sort of wizarding tradition.

"I never wanted to be her bloody boyfriend in the first place..." Scorpius grumbled as they reached the dorm.

"Why didn't you and Rose just go together?" Albus asked, "You're already friends, it would make so much sense."

"Believe me, I did ask her, but by that point she was already going with someone else." Scorpius rolled his eyes, "She's such a hopeless case."

"Hey, who are you going with?" Albus rounded on Marcus suddenly, who was being unusually quiet.

"Me?" Marcus asked, slightly dumbfounded.

"No, the other Marcus." Scorpius said as he went over to his usual bed and placed the robes down carefully on it.

"Come on, you can't tell me you're going on your own," Albus said as he went over to his trunk, rummaging through it until he came across his robe, all crumpled from being near the bottom of his trunk for months. He never had tried it on for size. Too late now, he reckoned.

"No, I'm going with someone, actually." Marcus said, sticking his tongue out at Albus childishly, "Obviously I can't go with the person I want to go with, so I agreed to go with Haruko, since apparently she can't go with the person she wants to go with either."

"That makes sense," Scorpius said sagely.

"Who did she want to go with?" Albus wondered aloud.

"Dunno," Marcus admitted with a shrug, "She wouldn't tell me. Funnily enough, she already knew I'd wanted to go with Stella. Am I really that obvious?"

Albus and Scorpius shared a look, neither of them willing to say anything on the matter.

"Um," Albus said, clearing his throat, "Why don't we start getting ready?"

-

Nearly two hours later, all three boys were at last ready to go down to the Yule Ball. Albus found that his robes did not, in fact, fit, and had recruited the Transfiguration skills of his two friends to try and make it a better fit, which they had done a marvelous job at. Scorpius had even performed a nifty little trick that had evened out all the crumples, and his robes now looked freshly washed and pressed.

Looking in the mirror, Albus nodded at himself in satisfaction. He didn't look all that bad, he reckoned, in robes of deep navy so dark it at first appeared to be black. When it caught the light, it twinkled slightly like stars in the night sky. He made a mental note to send his mum a long thank you letter when he got the chance. He'd even attempted to do something with his hair, but it hadn't been much of a success so he had just left it as it was.

Albus admitted, if only to himself, that Scorpius looked rather dashing indeed in his robes. His blonde hair was neatly gelled back and framed his thin face perfectly. In his pastel blue robes he looks almost like a spectre, if a spectre with fitting, well-tailored robes. Marcus also looked very grown-up and respectable, in a Muggle suit. Albus thought that Stella would have to be very foolish indeed to consider Jasper over her best friend, but then Albus was a little biased.

"You scrub up well," Scorpius observed, smirking at Albus as he fixed him with a glare.

"Thanks. You look hideous," Albus retorted as he straightened his sleeves out in the mirror.

"Same as usual, then," Scorpius said in his usual self-deprecating sense of humour.

"Shut up, you look great and you know it," Albus said, rolling his eyes.

"Shit, guys, it starts in ten minutes!" Marcus said suddenly, scrabbling frantically about for a bow tie. He used his wand to tie it around his neck with the use of magic as Albus and Scorpius scurried about, making sure that everything was in order.

In the end, they ran the whole way there, through deserted corridors bedecked in tinsel and Christmas decorations and down stairways, dodging trick steps and almost crying with laughter. Albus' sides ached but he wasn't sure whether it was from the sudden exercise or the banter between him and his two friends. When he reached the hall, he felt uncomfortably warm and he was fairly certain his hair was back to its usual tangled mess around his face, but he couldn't have cared less.

The three of them got to the Hall with only a minute to spare. The three champions and their respective partners were already queueing up outside, and Albus took a double take when he realised that it was Rose there next to Laurent.

"Rose, what are you -" He hissed, grabbing her arm and pulling her away from the crowd and her date. She looked horrified at the thought of even being there and blushed a deep red as she glanced back at Laurent, who was smiling an oily smile at her.

"I just – I didn't want to go alone, so I gave in and said yes. Trust me, I'm not happy about this either," She said, her brows furrowed, "Now quickly, get inside, it's about to begin,"

"Alright," Albus said, as he spotted Marcus and Scorpius going into the hall, "But we're going to talk about this later, alright?"

"Fine," She said, swatting his hand away from her arm, "Now hurry up. Angela's waiting for you inside."

"Okay, okay. Catch up with me when you can." He hugged her briefly, "You look lovely, by the way."

"You don't look too bad yourself," Rose replied, her eyes twinkling in that mischievous, unreadable way of hers, "Now go enjoy the evening."

With a quick thumbs up in his cousin's direction, Albus hurried into the hall. He took a few moments to marvel in his surroundings; the hall was almost unrecognisable compared to how it had looked only several hours before.

The walls of the Hall were silver and sparkling, like frost on a cold winter's morning, and glancing up at the ceiling, it was clear that the light snow from earlier in the day had become a heavy blizzard. Instead of the usual house tables, smaller tables were dotted around the edges of the room to create a space for the dancefloor in the very centre of the room. The teacher's table was still there at the very front as the teachers surveyed the room eagerly. Among them sat the head teachers from the three participating schools and the two representatives from the Ministry, who both looked bored out of their minds to be there.

Albus spotted Angela at a table with a mix of their two groups of friends and rushed over to take the seat next to her. She looked absolutely stunning in a floor length gold and pink dress that glittered under the warm candlelight that bathed the room in a wintery glow. Her hair was pinned up at the sides and fell in loose waves down her back.

"You look beautiful," Albus said, kissing her on the cheek. He thought he saw her blush slightly, though it may just have been her makeup.

"You don't look too bad yourself." She responded, winking at him, "Ooh, the champions are coming in!"

The room went silent as the three champions and their partners came in, led by Professor Holland to a table just in front of the teacher's table. When the group spotted Rose with Laurent, they each took a double take, whispering fervently amongst themselves. Rose seemed to be doing her best to ignore them whilst also keeping Laurent's arm from snaking around her waist. Samantha was with one of the boys in her group who had teased Albus plenty of times over the years, while Olivia was with Henry, who had been her boyfriend for several years already.

Once the champions were settled at the table, Shacklebolt rose to his feet, to rapturous applause from the students. Albus found himself wondering when dinner would be served.

"Thank you, thank you, everybody" He said, nodding his acknowledgement, "Welcome to the Yule Ball, a most special of occasions here at Hogwarts, one that I am delighted we are getting the chance to host once again. While I have no doubts that you will all be on your best behaviour, I would like to remind each of you to be a prime example to your respective schools. Without further ado, let the feast commence!"

The school let out a collective gasp of wonder and amazement as, with a flourish of Shacklebolt's wand, a long table appeared in the centre of the room, laden with foods of every cuisine imaginable. Albus, along with most of the rest of the school, got to his feet eagerly and headed towards the table. An orderly queue was soon formed, and in no time at all Albus was tucking into a plateful of mouth-watering food that reminded him almost painfully of his Grandma Weasley's cooking.

"This is amazing!" Angela exclaimed as she put her plate down on the table, "We'd never put so much effort into decoration at Salem."

"Honestly, I've never seen anything like it either," Albus said, glancing eagerly about the room, smiling wistfully as he observed everybody eating and just generally having a wonderful time, "I love magic,"

"The fact that you can even say something like that even after being brought up as a wizard says it all, really," Scorpius interjected from Albus' other side, "I've only had five and a half years to adjust and honestly, I feel completely overwhelmed by all of this."

"Oh, me too," Angela agreed readily, "But then, that's probably just because I'm in a completely different country,"

The casual conversation continued throughout the evening, as dinner was replaced with a fabulous array of desserts. Albus had to stop himself from piling his plate high with cakes and tartes and crumbles because he knew he would only make himself feel sick. Once everyone had finished dinner and the noise level in the room had risen steadily, Shacklebolt rose to his feet once more.

"I would like to say a special thank you to the house elves," He began, nodding in the direction of the table, "who have been working tirelessly all day to produce such a wonderful meal. Now, let the dancing commence!"

Albus blinked and suddenly the table had vanished, leaving the floor empty for people to dance. Another, much smaller, table appeared somewhere to the side, filled with pumpkin juice and even the occasional bottle of butterbeer. The students got to their feet as the tables were pushed to the side of the room and the three champions led their partners onto the makeshift dancefloor as jingly, upbeat Christmas music began to play from invisible speakers.

Albus and Scorpius nudged each other, exchanged glances and even bit back laughter as Laurent led a clearly unwilling Rose around the floor as one of his hands drifted further south than Albus felt comfortable even thinking of, let alone having to actually witness. Soon, more students began to join in the dancing, following the example of Shacklebolt and his wife, who were gliding gracefully across the room.

"Aren't you and Mairi going to dance?" Albus teased as he spotted the ditzy Ravenclaw dancing with a few of her friends across the room. She spotted the pair of them watching and stopped dancing, turning towards them.

"Quick, Al, dance with me," Scorpius said.

"What? No, I'm not dancing with you," Albus said, rolling his eyes and glancing desperately towards Angela, who was deep in conversation with her friends a few metres away and paying him absolutely no mind at all. Mairi was pushing her way through the crowd now.

"Oh, for Merlin's sake," Scorpius grabbed Albus' hand and pulled him into the mass of people dancing until they were completely obscured. An upbeat song with a heavy bass line and drumbeat began to play, and for a little while the pair of them danced, not altogether seriously, not at all like the last time they had danced, and it was really nice to just jump around and pull a few stupid moves and forget about the stress of relationships and N.E.W.Ts. The song came to an end far too quickly for Albus' liking, however, and he was distracted by an urgent tap on the shoulder as a slower, more romantic ballad began to play.

"Can I have this dance?" Angela said, holding out her hand. Albus grinned sheepishly at Scorpius, who just shrugged and took off back into the crowd without another word, and took his girlfriend's hand as he wrapped his other arm around her waist. Albus had never been a fantastic dancer, so he let Angela guide him slowly in circles until they found a rhythm they were both comfortable with.

"So," Angela began as the pair of them spun slowly across the floor, "What are your plans for summer?"

"Oh, I don't know really," Albus said pensively, "Do you have any plans?"

"Well, I was thinking," She said, blushing quite obviously this time, "We've been going out for a while now. We should definitely try and meet up with each other. I could maybe even come to stay at yours."

"That's a great idea," Albus said, until a sudden thought came to him and he frowned, "But Scorpius'll probably be staying at mine most of the time, or I'll be staying at his. We'd kind of agreed it already. But we can meet up for sure."

"Scorpius bloody Malfoy!" Angela said suddenly, her brows furrowed, "He's all you ever seem to want to talk about..."

"Uh… Sorry?" Albus started to apologise until he realised that he wasn't certain what he had to apologise for, "He is my best friend, after all."

"Yeah. Of course," Angela said, shaking her head, "It's just kind of strange. Don't your parents find it weird that you're so close? Your dad, especially."

"He... Dad, he doesn't mind so much," Albus said with a shrug. The topic of his father wasn't really one he liked to bring up, especially not to his girlfriend. They had managed to go several months without mentioning it; why was she bringing it up now?

"I don't know, I just thought the Potters and the Malfoys hated each other, but you guys are so close, it's weird." Angela continued. She seemed oblivious to the way Albus' shoulders were tensing underneath her hand as she looked up to meet him in the eye.

"Well, things change, you know?" Albus said, wishing he could think of a way to change the subject, but he couldn't think of anything more to say.

"I guess they do," Angela mused, biting her lip thoughtfully and finally breaking the eye contact between them, "You know, this might sound strange, but you're nothing like I expected at all."

"How so?" Albus asked warily as they began to spin more slowly to match the tempo of the song. Glancing around the hall, Albus spotted Scorpius at the back with Rose, the pair of them obviously trying their best to be covert. The sight of them made him smile until Angela's voice brought him back to the present.

"I don't know…" She trailed off, "I guess I just thought you'd be more… Popular? I don't know. Those aren't the right words... As it is you seem kind of ordinary. Not that there's anything wrong with that."

Albus came to a halt suddenly as Angela almost tripped over her feet, righting herself immediately. He considered her words; he really must seem ordinary to her. She was the Quidditch Captain of her school team, the winner of the national Cup, a sure bet for Head Girl. Of course Albus would seem ordinary, and for the first time he felt completely uncertain about his relationship, like Angela had suddenly cast him out into the ocean with no way of getting back to shore.

"What, did you think I'd be some kind of… I don't know, some kind of carbon copy of my father?" Albus demanded, feeling sudden anger bubble up in his chest. He felt like a complete and utter fool for ever thinking he could be worthy of a girl like Angela. The realisation came as such a blow he suddenly felt as though he couldn't breathe, and he flinched away from Angela when she tried to take his hand in what had once been a comforting motion.

"Oh Merlin, Al, I suppose… I suppose I must have done," Angela admitted in a soft voice, eyes wide, "And I know it was wrong of me to even think it, and it's even worse of me to still think it now. I don't know, I guess… What I'm trying to say is that maybe things just haven't worked out the way I thought they would. We can make it work, though, I'm sure."

Albus felt like something inside of him had just snapped, and suddenly all he wanted to do was scream until his voice went hoarse or punch a wall until his knuckles were bloody. The thoughts scared him but his mind was racing too fast for him to comprehend the meaning behind them.

"Can we?" Albus spat vehemently as he felt his voice steadily begin to rise, "Well. I hate to disappoint you, Angela, but I'm not my father! We're different people; we have our own interests – I can't fucking stand Quidditch! And I hate to break it to you, but I am my own person with my own best friend – so what if he's a Malfoy? He's the best friend I've ever known! - And I'm sick of people, people like you! People I thought I could trust, people who think they know who I am!"

"Albus, I'm sorry, I never realised -" Angela began, looking up into Albus' eyes, which were beginning to brim with tears that he tried furiously to blink away. He never let anybody see him cry, and Angela, as well as most of the school who had turned to watch the argument with eager eyes and ears, were absolutely no exception. Through the tears stinging at his eyes he could see Scorpius trying to push his way through the crowd to get to him, and somehow that hurt more than anything else.

"I don't want to hear your excuses," He yelled, fighting the urge to tear his hands through his hair in frustration. The only thing he could do now was run, to run and keep running until he was away from everybody else, from their prying eyes and their misconstrued preconceptions, so that was what he did. He shoved blindly through the crowd, who seemed more than eager to leap out of his way, and when he heard Scorpius calling his name, he only ran faster, letting the tears flow freely down his cheeks once he's out of the Great Hall and into the vast, sprawling corridors of Hogwarts.

He wasn't quite sure what possessed his legs to take him where they did, but he found himself tickling the pear that would let him get into the kitchens, and upon seeing that the House Elves were distracted by the masses of dishes from the evening, he made an admittedly stupid split-second decision and grabbed an unattended cask of firewhisky bottles that were lying about, clearly meant for the teachers and their own post-Yule Ball celebrations.

And then he was running again, through corridors and up stairs, his lungs screaming for him to stop, until at last he burst through the doors to the astronomy tower and he felt like he could finally breathe once more. With one last jolt of energy he pushed open the doors to the balcony, making sure to lock the door hastily behind him, and then he screamed into the night, screamed until he could scream no more.

None of it felt real, he observed as he cracked open the first bottle of firewhisky and choked it down, fighting against the burning sensation that ripped through his throat, though that could just have been an after effect of the screaming. If he felt anything at all, he felt pathetic and overdramatic, just another typical teenage boy who really had no real problems at all. As Angela had so kindly reminded him, he was completely ordinary in every conceivable way. Not even his world famous father could give him any worth at all.

He was half tempted to throw the empty firewhisky bottle from the balcony, but instead he smashed it against the wall and watched the glass splinter and shatter into a thousand pieces before he opened a second bottle and downed that too, feeling his anger come and go like waves on a beach.

At some point during his third bottle, it began to snow heavily again, and he laughed, feeling the sound rise unwillingly in his throat and spill out into an otherwise completely silent night. He took another careless sip of his drink, aware that he was on a sure path to self-destruction but not certain that he cared anymore.

And then he realised that he quite enjoyed being alone, up here all by himself, where the world below him was his kingdom and he the king, but suddenly everything just felt shit instead. He was alone, completely alone, and that wasn't the way things were meant to be, and the tears were falling again, making tracks down his face and mingling with the snowflakes in his eyelashes. He cried until he felt like he was about to retch, and then he drank and cried all over again.

Suddenly, there was a frantic knock on the door. Albus tried to fight back the sobs, but they were relentless. The knocking only increased and Albus wished that whoever it was, they would just fuck off and leave him alone.

"Albus?" The muffled voice called through the door. It was Scorpius; shit. Albus couldn't let his best friend see him like this. He tried once more to stop crying, but the sobs continue to rack his body.

"Albus?" The voice called again, "It's me. Scorpius. Let me in."

"Go away," Albus begged, his voice thick with what few tears remain unshed and his head spinning like nothing he has ever felt before in his life, "Leave me alone."

"Please, Albus," Scorpius asked, "I'm really worried about you. Rose is, too. I'm coming in, okay? I just want to make sure you're alright."

Albus turned away from the door to gaze listlessly into the night as he heard Scorpius whisper 'Alohamora', followed by a distinct popping noise and wood grating on stone. He refused to look back, instead taking another swig of his drink and watching the snow fall silently and beautifully around him. Really he didn't want to turn around and face Scorpius because he was terrified of what he would have to say. The knowledge that it was just the two of them on that balcony now was overbearing.

"Talk to me, Albus," Scorpius said softly from behind him. The kindness in his voice was just too much, and when he placed his hand gently on his shoulder, Albus pushed it roughly away, turning around to face him, to let his best friend see just what a disaster he truly could be if he let himself go.

"What, Scorpius?" Albus demanded, feeling his fist clench around the bottle in his hand, "Come to tell me that you only like me because I'm the son of a legend, the fucking Boy Who Lived? Come to tell me that for all these years you've secretly been hoping I'll become more like him, that you're just like the rest of them, hoping to get close to me just because you want to be close to him? How do I know that all my friends haven't secretly been expecting the same of me, that every girl who's liked me hasn't realised that in the end, I'm useless, I'm worthless?

"Go on, tell me! Tell me the truth! Leave me just like everybody else has! Surprise me! Tell me how little I mean to you, because I mean so fucking little to myself that I don't think you could possibly make it any worse!" Albus began to sob convulsively, kneeling down in the snow because the trembling in his legs had become too much to handle. The bottle of firewhisky in his hand fell to the ground and shattered, but it was already empty.

He could feel Scorpius' eyes on him, and imagined his expression, one of horror and disgust. After a second of hesitation, he rushed over to kneel in front of Albus, apparently as ignorant as he was of the blanket of snow on the ground. Scorpius reached out and pushed Albus' chin up so that they were face to face. Albus blinked and looked away, unable to let himself get lost again in those stormy grey eyes.

"Don't you ever say to me, or to anybody, that you're worthless, Albus Potter," Scorpius said, forcing Albus to look into his eyes, "Because you mean so much to me and to so many other people. I see you for who you are because who you are is an absolutely amazing person. Before we were friends I barely knew who I was or my place in the world, but thanks to you I know that Hogwarts is where I belong and I know that the bullies were wrong when they called me a coward or a Death Eater. You made me a better person, you made me who I am today. And I don't think Harry Potter could have done that.

"You're my best friend, Albus," Scorpius continued after taking a deep breath. Albus could barely remember how to breathe at all, "In the whole wide world. And that's because of who you are. It's for all the times we stayed up watching the stars or watching crap TV in the Room of Requirement. It's for all the times you've helped me when I was a mess, shown kindness to me when I felt like I didn't matter. And it's time for you to realise that you matter, too, so very much, and… I love you."

Scorpius froze suddenly, his eyes like roiling clouds during a summer storm. Albus could feel his heart pumping in his chest, and for a second nothing happened.

And then Albus was kissing Scorpius, and it tasted of alcohol and desperation and longing and everything he had ever wanted but never known he had needed. Albus' hands were on Scorpius' cheeks, running through his hair, and their bodies were pressed together as the snow fell mindlessly around them. At some point Scorpius had started crying, and Albus could taste the salt from his tears on his tongue, and a thousand and one different emotions were running through his mind and he began crying again too, because why the hell not, he was suddenly and unexpectedly happy enough for once in his life. Somehow this was an accumulation of everything he had ever dreamed of but never considered a real possibility, and it felt like everything he had ever wanted but never dared to desire.

But then Albus pulled away, as he was suddenly all too aware of what he had just done. He had just kissed his best friend and oh god he had never been so drunk before in his entire life and he had probably just ruined everything.

"Scorpius, I..." He began, but there was nothing he could possibly have said. Scorpius was sitting on the floor a few metres away from him, running his hands through his hair and breathing heavily, and he was about to speak but then Scorpius' face began to spin in front of him, and the world was tilting, shifting. "Shit. Shit!"

He got to his feet and ran to the door, but it was locked. The world around him was beginning to move in and out of focus and so he raced over into the cool night air, leaning against the stone wall, feeling bile rising in his throat, and then he was vomiting up an evening's worth of regrets over the edge of the balcony, trying frantically to hold himself up on unsteady legs while the world span around him and Scorpius was pulling his hair back, keeping him somewhat grounded.

And suddenly the darkness was pressing in closer, and he found he didn't mind as the oppressing weight of it enveloped him entirely until he lost consciousness altogether.


	26. What Kind of Man

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the long wait, i was on holiday, but i'm back now!! this chapter is named after the song 'what kind of man' by florence + the machine. i hope you enjoy.
> 
> ooh and also, if you wish, you can follow me on tumblr, at buzzybeewrites. :)

"You do such damage, how do you manage?"

When consciousness came again at last, it came slowly and unwillingly, like the time in Care of Magical Creatures that Albus had tried to coax a newborn unicorn out from under a holly bush. In fact, Albus even considering simply not waking up at all, for the closer he came to waking, the louder the pounding in his head became.

At long last, however, Albus slowly woke up, muttering softly at the pounding in his head that seemed to drum out all other coherent thoughts. All that he could ascertain at that moment was that he was warm and comfortable, so he was probably in bed, and he felt distinctly nauseous, to the extent that he was afraid to move for fear that his stomach contents would empty themselves all over his nice, soft bed.

He tried to think back to how he had come to feel like this, tried to search through his brain for some distinct memory of the night before, but nothing came except the pain in his head, hammering out all rational thought. The only thing that he was at all certain of was that he was hungover. Merlin's beard, how much had he drunk?

He lay there in silence for a little while, trying not to think too hard unless it aggravated the sharp, pulsating pain in the back of his mind. His breath felt disgusting and stale in his mouth and he longed for nothing more than a nice, long drink of water, but fear of the effect it would have on his stomach left him lying in bed, groaning gently and wondering what time it was.

"Albus?" An unidentifiable voice came from somewhere above him and he groaned once more at the shockwaves it sent through his mind.

"Go away," He whispered through bared teeth, his face pressed into his pillow.

"Okay," The voice said, much more quietly this time, "I've left some water and a pepper-up potion by your bed."

With a mumbled thank you, Albus slowly opened his eyes, squinting at the sudden brightness and giving his eyes a few second to adjust. He was in his own dorm, in his own bed, which came as a massive relief. The curtains were closed, blocking out most of the light, but what little light there was was still painful to his eyes.

"Morning, lazy bones!" Came a cheerful voice. Albus glanced up to find Scorpius, Marcus, Stella and Rose all sat on the bed opposite his, watching him curiously. Stella, who had spoken, beamed widely as Albus summoned up all of his energy to glare at her.

"Merry Christmas!" Marcus said, grinning.

"No offence, mate," Albus muttered, "But I think I'll miss this one this year,"

"Nope, not going to happen," Rose said brusquely, getting to her feet, "It's already past lunchtime, and I want to open my presents. So you're getting up. Right now."

"No, please," Albus begged pathetically, wincing at the sound of his own voice, but Rose had already thrown the duvet off him. Glancing down, Albus realised that he was still in last night's robes, creased beyond all belief and covered in suspicious stains. With a great amount of effort, he pulled himself up, slowly, until he was in a seated position. He rested his head against the wall, closing his eyes once more.

"Albus, how much did you drink?" Rose asked as she passed him the water and the pepper-up potion. He took a cautious sip of the water and when he didn't immediately throw it back up, he took a few more sips before uncorking the bottle of pepper-up potion and, with a shrug, downing it in one.

"Honestly, Rose?" He said, his voice hoarse as he took a few more slurps of water, "I haven't the foggiest."

"Too much, obviously." Marcus observed wryly, crossing his arms and leaning against the bedpost.

"Come on, let's get you up," Rose said, offering her hand. Albus shook his head softly; he wasn't quite sure he was up to that just yet. The pepper-up potion was taking its time to work.

Albus glanced at Scorpius, who had been awfully quiet throughout the conversation. His best friend simply turned a bright shade of pink and refused to meet his eye, which Albus found quite peculiar. Before Albus could try and make any more eye contact or force some memories from last night out, however, Rose was dragging him to his feet.

"You'll feel so much better after a shower," She insisted, tugging on his rumpled sleeves.

"Fine," Albus grumbled as Stella handed him his ordinary clothes of a jumper and a pair of jeans and he headed into the bathroom, trying his very hardest to ignore the fact that the room was still spinning and he felt infinitely more queasy than he had when he was seated.

Half an hour or so later he stumbled out of the bathroom feeling just a little better and a little more human, though that may just have been because he vomited in the shower and his stomach was at last empty. In fact, it had started rumbling with hunger almost immediately afterwards.

"At last!" Rose exclaimed as Albus went to sit back down on his bed, "What did you do in there, fall asleep in the shower?"

"No," Albus said, rubbing at his temple, "I did throw up though, so that was fun."

"We can open our presents now!" Rose said, rubbing her hands together in glee and beginning to pile gifts up on one of the room's spare beds.

"Why did you have to wait for me?" Albus asked as he searched in his trunk for his own presents, trying to stay as vertical as possible, "We have other friends, after all."

"Yeah, but none of them could wait to open their presents." Stella interjected, clapping her hands together as Marcus pulled some presents out from under his own bed. Scorpius just sat there, looking thoughtful, until he realised what everyone around him was doing and began pull, "So we're clearly your very best friends."

"I'm starting to doubt that right now," Albus said, managing to smile for the first time that day.

"Right, no presents for Albus, then," Rose said, beginning to put presents back into her bag, which had no doubt been subject to an extending charm.

"Aww, come on, Rosie, don't be like that," Albus said, pouting. Rose pulled a present back out of her back and smacked him across the arm with it.

"That's for calling me Rosie," She said, smacking him once more, "And that's for getting pissed off your face last night."

"Thanks, the hangover just wasn't reminder enough," Albus said, grimacing, "What the hell did I even do? I don't remember a thing."

"I have no idea," Rose said breezily, "Scorpius found you in the Astronomy tower and somehow managed to haul your drunk self back to the dorm. Quite an impressive feat."

"Thanks, I think," Scorpius said quietly, the first words he had spoken so far that day.

"Oh Merlin," Albus groaned, putting his face into his hands, "What the hell is wrong with me?"

"Nothing's wrong with you, you idiot." Rose said sharply, "Though you did miss the after-party in the Gryffindor common room. Some very… Interesting things happened."

At this, Rose looked very obviously in Stella and Marcus' direction. Stella paused from her present sorting to glare at Rose, while Marcus simply blushed.

"What happened?" Albus demanded, "Come on. You guys are my best friends. You have to tell me."

"Nothing happened," Stella insisted, laughing awkwardly. Albus didn't think he could even possibly imagine Stella being less than her bubbly, composed self, but she began to blush as well, "I mean, well, Jasper may have broken up with me, and I may have, uh, kissed Marcus."

"What?" Albus shouted, leaping to his feet, "You and Marcus? You and Stella?"

"Uh… Yeah." Marcus said, grinning sheepishly in Albus' direction, "That may just have happened."

"Bloody hell," Albus said, sitting back down again as he began to feel sick to his stomach again, "How's Jasper feeling?"

"I don't know, and I don't care," Stella said, wrinkling her nose with distaste, "But I saw him and some Seventh Year Hufflepuff together a few weeks ago and he promised me it was nothing but… Obviously it was something."

"Ugh, what a jerk," Albus said, rolling his eyes, "But you and Marcus?"

"Right, of course," Stella said, "Well, he was comforting me, and then I just kind of realised that he's been here right in front of my eyes this entire time."

"Was alcohol involved, by any chance?" Albus asked, winking at Stella.

"It wasn't, in fact, you presumptuous git," Stella said, but her tone of voice wasn't at all serious, "What about you and Angela, though? That argument in the Hall sounded pretty vicious."

"Argument?" Albus began, furrowing his brows and trying to think back to last night. If he thought hard enough about it, he could just about remember an argument. Though he couldn't quite remember what had been said, the thought of it filled him with anger and resentment. Surely he hadn't already been drunk by that point?

"You don't remember?" Scorpius asked, snapping Albus back to reality. He was watching Albus carefully, his grey eyes piercing.

"Not really," Albus admitted, frowning, "I faintly remember there being an argument, but I don't remember what it was about."

"Jeez, you really must have drunk a lot," Rose said with a snort of derision, "To forget what happened while you were sober."

"Can we just forget about all that now?" Albus pleaded, "As you keep reminding us all, it's Christmas day. Let's stop dwelling on whatever happened last night and enjoy the day."

The next hour or so was spent exchanging and opening gifts. Even though Albus' birthday had been only a few days before, he still received a great pile of presents, from his friends, his parents, his grandparents, and his multitude of aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Sometime later in the afternoon, once all of the presents had been opened and sufficiently admired, Marcus at last opened the curtains to the dorm and realised that the heavy snow had continued throughout the night and into the morning, and students were to be seen outside, making snow angels and having snowball fights.

"Wait..." Rose said apprehensively as she watched the scene outside with wide, eager eyes, "We're underground, but that's definitely the view from our History of Magic classroom… How does that work?"

"Haven't a clue," Marcus said, shrugging, "It's always been like that, as far as I know. There's a different view every night."

"Wow..." Rose said as the rest of the group clamoured to join her at the window, all admiring the falling snow, "For once, I don't think I even need an explanation."

"Who are you and what have you done with Rose Weasley?" Stella demanded, laughing raucously as Rose stuck her nose up and sniffed, very purposefully looking in the other direction.

"Come on, let's go have a snowball fight," Albus suggested, "A proper one this time, like we used to do back in Second Year or whenever."

"But it's cold," Rose whined, shivering at the very sight of the snow.

"It'd do us good to get some fresh air," Albus insisted as he pulled his outdoor robes out of his trunk and shrugged them on, "It might help clear my head a bit."

"Fine, Scorpius and I will go get our coats and we'll meet you in the Entrance Hall. Want to invite anyone else?" Rose said, heading towards the door with Scorpius in tow. Stella shook her head vehemently, "Right, well, see you guys in a bit, then."

"Scorpius was a bit quiet, wasn't he?" Albus wondered aloud as Marcus began piling his presents up into a neater pile. He searched through his trunk for his gloves and scarf; as much as he loved the cold, he didn't fancy catching frostbite or hypothermia.

"Oh, yeah, because he's always so talkative," Stella scoffed as she collected up her own presents ready to take back to her own dorm.

"I dunno, he did seem a little off," Marcus observed, glancing furtively at Stella and blushing at the sight of her as he wrapped his cloak around himself, "Come on, we'd better get down there."

Ten minutes later, the five of them were all waiting in the Entrance Hall while Rose wrapped another scarf around her neck and was making sure that everybody else was dressed suitably for the weather. She was just making sure that Scorpius' hat covered his ears when Jasper and his Hufflepuff friends strolled past, all bounding eagerly until they spotted Stella, who had her fists clenched at her sides and looked ready to burst, though whether with anger or into tears Albus couldn't tell.

"Stella, I-" He began futilely. Stella turned and stormed outside without another word, motioning to her friends that they should follow immediately.

"I wouldn't bother," Rose spat, pushing past him on her way out. Marcus and Jasper glared at each other for a few seconds as if squaring each other off, before Jasper muttered something unintelligible and stalked off back to his friends, who were watching the scene unfold with curious eyes. Albus glanced at Scorpius, who at times like this he would often share a certain look with, but his best friend was already leaving. He made a mental note to corner him as soon as he could.

In the end, Albus decided it would probably be for the best if he stayed out of the game for the sake of his own stomach and physical wellbeing, and instead opted to referee, as that way the game could be Gryffindor vs Slytherin. It was becoming clear that Slytherin were to be the winners, until Rose pulled some dirty tricks from out of her sleeves and won the game for Gryffindor. Marcus and Stella weren't pleased at all.

At some point, Lily and her friends sauntered over from where they had been building igloos to join in the game. When Lily not-so-subtly sidled over to Albus, a gleam in her eye, he knew what was coming.

"So, big brother," She began, smiling sweetly up at him, "What was all that about last night?"

"What was all what about?" He asked, slightly dumbfounded.

"You know, the argument with Angela?" She said, rolling her eyes, "I've already told mum all about it."

"You did what?" Albus said, jumping to his feet, "I don't even remember it myself!"

"Wait, really?" Lily gasped and pulled him back onto the bench that he had spent ages earlier clearing of snow, and spent the next few moments explaining to him the few snatches of the argument that she had managed to overhear.

"Wow." Albus said, stunned into silence, "I… Never thought she would have been capable of saying things like that."

"Nobody did," Lily reassured him, patting his shoulder lightly, "But don't worry. We've all been glaring daggers at her on your behalf."

"So, what happened after the… The argument?" Albus asked, wincing slightly as Lily clutched at his arm and launched into a tirade.

"Well, you ran out of the Hall, Angela just kind of sat on the floor and started weeping like a baby, Rose and Scorpius tried to follow you but he got intercepted by Mairi, Rose punched her and told her to shove off, Scorpius went after you, Rose got detention, and Shacklebolt gave us all a very stern talking to. He'll probably want to talk to you for causing all this." Lily exhaled deeply as she finished, her eyes shining with glee at the memory.

"Me? How was any of this my fault?" Albus demanded, trying his best to keep his voice down as several of both his friend's and his sister's turned to look at him with concern plain across their faces.

"It's okay, we know this was all Angela's fault," Lily said soothingly, "Hence all the glaring daggers."

"Oh Merlin, what if mum sends me a bloody howler?" Albus asked, feeling a pang of guilt and fear go through him at the very idea.

"Then your friends will no doubt be around to offer you every bit of support they can." Lily said, smiling as she watched her friends being pelted by snowballs from Albus' friends, "They really have no chance."

"Hey, Lily," Albus said pensively, "You're friends with Scorpius, right?"

"Indeed," Lily responded, "Just friends though, remember,"

"Oh, piss off," Albus said, laughing, "It's just, he's been kind of quiet today. Quieter than usual, that is. Do you know what's up?"

"Not a clue," Lily said, shrugging, "You're the ones who are best friends. Talk to him yourself."

"Yeah, alright then," Albus said, frowning, "I'm just afraid that I did something stupid last night and now he's mad at me."

"If he has any sense at all, then he'll know that drunk Albus is a blithering idiot, and not to trust anything he does or says." Lily suggested, muttering an 'ouch' as Albus punched her in the arm, "What? It's true!"

"That doesn't mean I like to be reminded," Albus grumbled, "What about you, then, little sister?"

"What about me?" Lily asked innocently, batting her eyelashes.

"Who did you take to the Ball?" Albus asked, leaning back in the chair and regarding her carefully. Even he couldn't fail to miss the way her cheeks reddened, turning even darker than her hair.

"Nobody..." She said slowly and not at all convincingly.

"Lily."

"None of your business." Lily said, getting to her feet.

"Come on, you know you can talk to me about anything," Albus reassured her with a small smile up at her.

"Okay. But you have to promise you won't tell anybody. Especially not mum or dad." Lily said, pouting.

"Sure," Albus said, "Now spill, before I die of hypothermia."

"Drama queen," Lily scoffed, before beginning to pace up and down in front of him, "Okay. You know my friend Grace?"

"Is she the one in Gryffindor?" Albus asked, looking over to where the Fourth Year was currently lying on the ground, breathless with laughter, her cloak completely white with snow. Albus glanced back at Lily, who was watching her fondly, before something clicked into place in his mind, "Wait. You mean?"

"Wow, I never would've thought you'd be so quick to guess," Lily said, her cheeks still pink, "But yeah, I do mean."

"Cool," Albus said, grinning at her, "I'm proud of you, little sister."

"Really? James totally freaked out." Lily grimaced at the memory, "He may even have nearly fainted."

"Wait, you told James already?" Albus asked, his eyes narrowing. He'd always believed that he had been the brother to come to when his sister had a problem or wanted to get something off her chest, but apparently not.

"I didn't tell him, exactly… He kind of came across us in the corridor when he was doing his rounds." Lily flushed again at the memory, quite clearly cringing at the very thought of it.

"Ah," Albus said, nodding, "Well. You know what he's like. He'll take some time to come around to it, but really, I'm sure he's cool."

"Oh, I know, he sent me a long letter apologising and twice as many Christmas presents as he usually gets me. I'm not complaining." Lily smirked, "He even got me the Quidditch annual I've been asking for for years!"

"All he got me was a pair of socks..." Albus whined, "I mean, they're nice socks, but..."

"Well, you know what you need to do to get a good present, for future reference." Lily said, laughing at the horrified expression on Albus' face.

"The socks are fine," Albus said, "I don't think I'll be kissing anyone soon at any rate, not after yesterday."

"Oh, you never know," Lily said, grinning, "I'm sure there's someone out there who has their eye on you."

"Poor them," Albus shuddered at the thought, "They probably don't after yesterday."

Lily simply winked at him before rushing over to join her friends and, apparently, her girlfriend. It surprised Albus how comfortable he felt with that; his sister was still young, sure, but she had always been confident and self-assured, and above all he was happy that she felt she could talk to him about it.

Somehow, in all that had been happening, Albus hadn't noticed the sun beginning to set in the sky, and by the time Lily had returned to her friends, the sky was almost pitch black, save for a streak of purple somewhere over the forest. The lights inside Hogwarts were shining out brightly, however, illuminating the part of the grounds where Albus' friends were still messing about in the snow.

"Oi, Scorpius!" Albus called, waving his friend over. Scorpius paused from where he was helping to heap snow onto Lily's friends, his eyes wide like he had just realised he had a wand poised in front of his face. The tip of his nose and his cheeks were bright red, and he was quite a picture all wrapped up in his cloak and scarf, with both his woolly hat and his earmuffs.

"What?" Scorpius mouthed, momentarily distracted by a stray snowball hitting him square in the chest. When Albus beckoned him over once more, he sighed, shaking the snow from his cloak before trudging over, his boots making deep imprints in the snow.

"Are you alright?" Albus asked, peering at his friend cautiously. He had bags under his eyes, but the type caused by one night of bad sleep, not by consecutive nights of sleeplessness. Scorpius crossed his arms over his chest and regarded Albus warily.

"I'm fine, just a bit tired," He said.

"Oh, if that's all it is..." Albus broke off, biting his lip and trying to remember anything that had happened last night, to no avail. His mind was like a blank slate when it came to conjuring up memories of the evening, nothing but occasional flashes of an argument in the Hall and a pounding headache that was no doubt due to all of the alcohol that had been consumed, "I thought maybe I'd done something stupid when I was drunk. If so, I apologise."

Scorpius opened his mouth as if to speak, then paused, considering, before he continued, his voice almost stiff, as if speaking were suddenly a great effort, "No. You didn't do anything stupid. I promise."

"Well, that's a relief," Albus breathed out a sigh, "How much did I have, anyway?"

"Are you sure you want to know?" Scorpius said, the corner of his lip quirking up slightly. With that one small motion, Albus just knew that everything would be alright, "Okay. Four bottles."

"What, of beer? Of cider?" Albus scoffed, "That's not too bad."

"No, Al," Scorpius said dryly, "Firewhisky."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"No wonder I feel like shit." Albus shook his head at his own drunken stupidity. "Now I know why mum always told me to stay away from it."

"Your mother's a wise woman. You should listen to her more." Scorpius said, his face splitting into a wide grin as Albus whacked him in the arm.

"Come on, let's go grab something to eat. I can't feel my fingers. Or my toes. Or my face… Or anything, really?" Albus shuddered at the biting wind that was gradually beginning to pick up. Scorpius nodded, and the pair of them headed inside, collecting their friends like stray dogs along the way.

Albus was just glad that not only was Scorpius no longer angry at him for whatever thing he had done while drunk, he had managed not to do anything spectacularly stupid, apparently, which was a miracle in and of itself.

The Hall was warm and inviting, the previous night's decorations cleared away. Albus slid into a seat at the Gryffindor table and pulled off his scarf, gloves, and hat, all too aware of the eyes that were following him.

"Everyone's watching me," He whispered to Scorpius, who was pulling his own cloak off.

"That's what happens when you're the son of Harry Potter and you break up very publicly with your girlfriend," He replied in a teasing tone of voice.

"Ouch," Albus said as two Ravenclaws walked past, nudging each other and very obviously side-eyeing him.

"People will forget about it in no time, don't worry," Scorpius reassured him as Albus put his head in his hands with frustration, "Come on, it's Christmas. The House Elves will have gone all out."

Albus perked up at that. While he would definitely miss his Grandma Weasley's spectacular Christmas dinners, he knew the House Elves had a few tricks up their sleeves to make the Christmas dinner as special as possible.

At that moment, owls began to swoop down into the hall, delivering the special Christmas evening edition of the Daily Prophet. Out of their friends, Rose was the only one who regularly read the Prophet, so she paid her owl and was opening up the front page when suddenly she gasped in shock and dropped it onto the table.

"What?" Albus asked, straining to look at the headline, "What's happened?"

"There's been another attack," Rose said, her eyebrows furrowed as she skimmed through the article, "Early this morning, at the Ministry."

"Bloody hell..." Scorpius murmured, as he read the article over Rose's shoulder, "Thirteen injured. No dead. Nothing stolen."

"What was the point, then?" Stella questioned, glancing up to the teacher's table to where the teachers were all equally enraptured and horrified by the article, passing it around.

"The Prophet seem to think it was just to create fear," Rose said, biting her lip.

"Bunch of pricks," Scorpius muttered, disgust plain across his face.

"Surely there has to be some good news in here," Rose said, flicking through the pages, until she came to a page with a large picture of the Yule Ball last night, with students dancing gracefully around the room, "Oh look, you're mentioned, Al."

"What, really?" Albus demanded, snatching the paper from his cousin and finding his own name immediately, somewhere in the third paragraph. It was all about his argument with Angela, and how he had supposedly disappointed the school with his behaviour, and his father would be most appalled with him. He rolled his eyes and threw the paper back to Rose.

"Just your typical Rita Skeeter article," Rose said, before shoving the paper into her bag, "I'm not sure I want to read anymore."

At that moment, a wonderful distraction came in the form of Christmas dinner. Albus piled his plate high with turkey and pigs in blankets and all of the usual trimmings. At one point, the hall went completely silent as Angela and her friends entered the hall, before Angela spotted Albus and turned on her heel to run out of the room. Albus sat as far down in his seat as he could to avoid everyone's obvious glances as he tucked into his dinner and tried his best to pretend that everything was alright.

-

The rest of the Christmas holidays passed by rather smoothly indeed after the drama and arguments of Christmas Eve. There were no more recorded attacks by the mysterious group of Death Eater copycats, and Albus managed to stay out of Angela's way. As usual, he crammed all of his homework in to the last few days as Scorpius sat by his side, tutting at him all the while.

When school started up again and all of the younger students returned, full of boundless enthusiasm and energy, Albus was almost glad, as all of the coursework and essays provided a welcome distraction from everything that had happened. He knew deep down, however, that it couldn't last, and he spent his free time constantly expecting to be proven wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i feel like i've got to be clear here and say that we still have a long way to go - this is, as i said, a beast of a story and we're not out of the woods just yet (see what i did there? ;) but i hope you'll stick with me for plenty more angst and hormones and teenage drama. 
> 
> see, as a teenager, i'm the first to admit that we can be pretty darn stupid and awkward and oblivious at times and are prone to making huge mistakes. maybe that doesn't change as you grow up but for now, that much is certainly the case! (or perhaps that's just me?)
> 
> whatever the case, i hope you'll all be with me for the journey :)


	27. I Want You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another interlude, hence why it's so short! next full chapter to follow shortly, don't worry. this interlude is from scorpius' perspective and is named after the song 'i want you' by summer camp (had you guessed by now that they're my favourite band?)

"I like you, and I think that if you thought about it, you'd know you liked me too"

Christmas Eve wasn't a day Scorpius thought he was ever, ever going to forget. Ever. If he was an ordinary teenage boy, who could actually, you know, talk about his feelings and stuff like that, he reasoned that everything would probably be alright about now.

Instead, everything was just shit.

And it was probably going to be shit for the rest of his life, if he kept on the way he was.

The thing was, the thing that neither Rose nor Lily seemed able to comprehend, was that Scorpius simply couldn't tell Albus how he felt. He had spent countless nights awake, tossing and turning, trying to imagine telling his best friend how he really felt, and every single imaginary scenario always ended in rejection and embarrassment and the loss of a friendship. He just couldn't do that to himself, or to Albus.

If he was honest to himself, which he very rarely allowed himself to be, he was terrified. He was scared of opening up his heart and letting someone else in, and he was scared of letting himself be loved. It was stupid, as he was only young, and that was when you were supposed to make mistakes and let yourself be vulnerable, but he simply couldn't do it.

But then – by some absolute miracle, some complete disregard for the natural laws that governed the universe – Albus had kissed him, and it had been wonderful, and he knew he would treasure those few precious moments for the rest of his life, even if Albus had been pissed almost off his face and had proceeded to throw up and then pass out in Scorpius' arms. Even it had just been an outburst of emotion and frustration, it had still been the best moment of Scorpius' life so far, a thought that stung more than he had thought it could.

He had barely slept a wink that evening after dragging an unconscious Albus back to his room under the cover of night. He had met Rose along the way, who had also been searching for Albus, and they had returned to the dorm, having a strange sort of sleepover in which they watched Albus sleep to ensure he didn't choke on his own vomit and die, or something stupid like that. Scorpius' heart had been in his throat every time he so much as moved or made the slightest sound, but he made it through the night.

Once Stella and Marcus had fallen fast asleep, hand in hand as they slept across two beds pushed together, which Scorpius could hardly bear to look at, Rose had cornered him, demanding to know exactly what had happened.

"Nothing, Rose," He promised, glancing over to make sure Albus was still sleeping soundly. He suspected he would be sleeping like a baby for quite some time.

"Seriously?" Rose demanded, hands on hips, eyes ablaze with her usual curiosity and extreme nosiness. Coupled with her absolute inability to keep secrets, Rose Weasley was quite a force to be reckoned with, "You expect me to believe that nothing happened?"

"Yes, because nothing did happen." Scorpius said, yawning and resting his head wearily against the bedpost. It was sometime after one in the morning, and they should all really have been asleep, but he knew he couldn't possibly fall asleep any time soon.

"You mean, you went up to the Astronomy Tower, and Albus was already passed out?" Rose narrowed her eyes in his direction. Her hair was already beginning to escape from its usual messy bun that she wore to bed.

"Well, no, not quite – we talked a bit." Scorpius admitted with a shrug.

"You talked?" Rose shrieked, clapping a hand over her mouth as Stella mumbled a barely audible 'Shut up'

"A little..." Scorpius said.

"Well, what did you talk about?" She questioned, pulling her legs up onto the bed and crossing them so that she could better survey the room.

"Not much, Albus was just drunk and feeling sorry for himself," Scorpius said, "I mean, that argument was pretty brutal."

"And?" Rose said, leaning forwards.

"And..." Scorpius took a deep breath. He trusted Rose to keep a secret, when it really came down to it, "And I told him I loved him. And he kissed me."

There was stunned silence for a few moments as Rose gathered her thoughts, mouth opening and closing like a goldfish. As much as everything was confusing and stressful at that moment, Scorpius couldn't help but smile at his best friend's reaction.

"You're kidding, right?" Rose demanded, "Please tell me you're kidding. Oh Merlin, you're not kidding, are you?"

Scorpius shook his head slightly and tried to suppress another yawn.

"What are you going to do?" Rose asked, glancing at her cousin, who was beginning to snore. Scorpius watched him fondly for a few seconds, watching his chest rise and fall, before the reality of the situation brought him crashing back to Rose's question.

"I guess I'll just… Wait and see." Scorpius said. He'd felt a glimmer of hope that maybe the kiss was a moment of sobriety in amongst the drunken mess that his friend had become, but he tried not to get his hopes up too far. As it was, they'd been well and thoroughly crushed.

"And if he does remember?" Rose asked, fixing him with a look he knew all too well, a look that simply said 'I am never going to let this go'

"Then we'll talk about it." Scorpius said, nodding to himself.

"No you won't, you'll probably go into hiding," Rose said, giggling slightly as Scorpius threw a well-aimed pillow in her direction.

"I might not..." Scorpius said, though he knew himself too well. That was probably exactly what he would do.

"And if he doesn't remember?"

"Then… Then I'll pretend that nothing ever happened." Scorpius admitted.

"No. No, you can't do that. It's not fair, on either of you!" Rose threw her arms up in obvious frustration.

"Please, Rose, you can't say a word to him." Scorpius begged, pulling his best puppy dog eyes at her. She crossed her arms and nodded, as if resigning that fact to herself. "Thank you."

"You know I'd never do anything like that," She said softly, with far too much kindness in her voice. To Scorpius, it sounded more like pity than anything else. "Now come on, Albus'll be fine. Let's get some rest."

Rest had been almost impossible to come by, however, as Scorpius lay wide awake, wondering what he would be faced with when Albus woke up. Either prospect was equally terrifying and filled him with a strong sense of dread and anxiety. Eventually, he managed to drift off into a fitful, dreamless sleep, until he awoke sometime around six o'clock to the sounds of birds chirping.

When Albus awoke, sometime after midday after Scorpius and his friends had been downstairs to get food and exchange presents with everyone else, Scorpius could have sworn that everybody in the room would be able to hear his heart beating.

Albus looked an absolute mess, with his hair a birds' nest above his head and his robes from the previous night almost unrecognisable from the creases and stains, but Scorpius still thought he was beautiful, even when he hissed at him to go away when he gently tried to wake him up.

When at last he had woken up and was more or less conscious, Scorpius found that he could hardly breathe for a mixture of fear and anticipation that seemed to permeate all of his thoughts, and when Albus had admitted he couldn't remember a thing and had looked at Scorpius as if to say 'typical me, really' he simply couldn't stop the blush from rising on his face.

"Well, I guess that answers your question." Rose said once Albus had stumbled off into the bathroom, clutching at his head.

"My life continues to be a total shitshow," Scorpius muttered, "No surprises there."

"Oh, cheer up, honestly," Rose said, smacking him with the same pillow he had thrown at her last night, "Moping isn't going to do you any good. If you want to change anything, you have to take the initiative."

"Maybe I don't want to take the initiative." Scorpius whined, wondering at what point he had become so pathetic.

"Then suffer in silence," Rose said, not entirely seriously, "And go bother someone else about your problems."

"Lily's probably heard enough," Scorpius sighed, cringing at the thought of all the times she had tried to 'help' him out.

"Oh, Lily will be hearing about this, don't you worry," Rose said, smiling smugly.

"I'm so glad I put my trust in you," Scorpius shook his head and laughed softly, partly because Rose elicited those feelings in him, but mostly because of the sad excuse that was his life.

He spent the rest of the day avoiding Albus. He wasn't entirely certain why, he just wasn't sure he was ready to face him after what had happened the previous night, especially since Albus had absolutely no memory of it. He almost would have laughed at that, but it didn't seem funny at all.

Albus, however, had other things in mind. He seemed to be able to perfectly pick up on Scorpius' mood, something that was particularly irritating when he was in no mood to talk to anybody at all, so Scorpius had tried his hardest to act like everything was alright while Albus was right there in front of him being all concerned and sympathetic and gorgeous. Damn him.

In some way, Scorpius was slightly relieved. Yes, he was in love with Albus, and yes, he had been in love with him for a pathetically long time without saying a word, but the very thought that Albus had only kissed him because he was drunk, and because Scorpius was there, felt more like a knife in the back than anything else. So he would keep waiting, no matter how much that grated, because he was scared, and he was pathetic, and he couldn't bear the thought of things changing.

Oh, how he wished he had the confidence and bravery to live up to the daring feats and endeavours of Gryffindor house, but somehow that simply wasn't who he was. He was Scorpius Malfoy, and he was in love with Albus Potter, and he was afraid, and that was that.


	28. Talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is named after the song 'talk' by coldplay. please let me know what you thought, either by leaving a comment or giving kudos, they always make me feel so happy :)

"Nothing's really making any sense at all"

With school starting up again, Albus barely had time to eat or sleep, let alone think about what was happening. He saw Angela in the corridor or in the Great Hall nearly everyday, and was desperate to talk to her, even if he knew there was no chance of reconciliation, but the second she saw him, which she always seemed to, she would simply turn and walk away. It was actually rather frustrating, and although Albus was still incredibly angry at her, he wanted to talk things out, to understand what could possibly have been going through her mind when she said what she supposedly said.

Sometimes, late at night when he was trying and failing to get to sleep, he almost felt like he could remember being there in the Great Hall, and if he thought hard enough about it, hard enough that his head began to ache, he could just about begin to remember what the argument had been about, but by the time his thoughts had any real substance to them he always, without fail, fell asleep, and woke up the next morning having forgotten it all over again. It was beginning to drive him slightly crazy.

Unfortunately, his parents had read both the Daily Prophet's article about the Yule Ball, and Lily's own account of the argument, and they had not been at all sympathetic about his girlfriend ripping out his heart and stamping on it or anything like that; they had been more concerned that he had drawn negative and unwanted attention to himself - as if that didn't happen naturally, without him having any say in it at all!

And if the combination of school, relationship drama, and annoying family members weren't enough, the stories reported in the Daily Prophet were gradually becoming darker and darker, until one day it became clear to everyone in the Wizarding world that there was something truly evil at play, something no one would have considered possible after all this time.

It had started off as a usual Saturday breakfast after the second week of term, as Albus' friends laughed and joked and ate their breakfast while Albus cradled his coffee mug closely to his chest and wished he was still in bed. Scorpius was just reeling off a list of all the homework they were planning to complete in the library that afternoon when the owls arrived, dropping off parcels, letters, and of course, the papers.

"It really is beginning again," Rose said with disgust as she slammed the newspaper down onto the table so that everybody could read it. Albus took one look at the headline and felt sick to the stomach. He put his piece of toast back onto his plate, certain that he couldn't possibly manage another bite.

**Attack on village by so-called 'Pureblood Knights'; two dead, seventeen injured. Worst Wizarding attack in over twenty years.**

"Who the bloody hell are the 'Pureblood Knights'?" He asked, squinting to try and read the article.

"They've claimed responsibility for the attack." Rose said, shaking her head, "They seem to think they're the new Death Eaters or something."

"What a pathetic name," Stella said in almost a whisper. Across the hall, there was almost complete silence as students began to comprehend the news with shocked whispers.

"Pathetic name, pathetic people," Albus spat, clenching his fists as he felt anger and resentment begin to rise in him.

"So Diagon Alley last summer, the attack on your dad, that really was the start of something," Scorpius said, his face as pale as Albus had ever seen it. Albus would have done anything possible then and there to try and comfort him, but he was too distracted trying to reassure himself that everything was going to be fine, that he was in no immediate danger.

"We have to do something about this," Scorpius said resolutely, "We can't just sit back and let this happen."

Everyone was nodding in complete agreement when Professor Zabini strolled up to the table stiffly, his eyes tight and his lips pursed. He had his hands clasped tightly behind his back, and Albus could almost feel the uncertainty and anger radiating from him.

"Mr. Potter, Miss Weasley, Mr. Malfoy, Headmaster Shacklebolt would like to see you in his office," He said, nodding to them each in turn as he placed a reassuring hand on Stella's shoulder. For once, she didn't blush or try to shake him off, she simply smiled sadly up at him.

"Why?" Albus demanded, "Did Dad get hurt again? Or someone else?"

"Don't worry, I have ascertained that no harm has come to any of your parents or relatives," Zabini said, nodding once more to himself in a resigned way, "You can make your own way up there, I trust?"

Albus got to his feet, feeling half in a daze, as Rose and Scorpius followed after him. No one talked for a long time as they walked through the corridors of Hogwarts. The silence felt somewhat precious, as if by breaking it everything would suddenly come crashing down and start to feel real all over again.

In the end, it was Rose who spoke first, as they came to a stop in front of the staircase that would lead them up to Shacklebolt's office. For once, it was open, indicating that they should come right up.

"Whatever's happening, we'll get through this," She said, taking both of their hands and squeezing them tightly, "We have each other."

Albus glanced at Scorpius, who was breathing heavily and clutching onto Rose's hand like a lifeline. Albus took his other hand and they stood like that for a few seconds, in some strange sort of prayer circle, trying to put each other's minds at rest and doing their best to stay calm and dispel the fears that the silent walk had allowed to build up.

"We can do this," Scorpius said, squeezing each of their hands before letting them drop. The three of them let the spiral staircase carry them up to Shacklebolt's office, barely allowing themselves to breathe.

When they reached the top, they all came to an abrupt stop at the scene in front of them. Shacklebolt was sitting behind his desk as Albus' mum and Rose's mum appeared to be shouting at him. Harry Potter and Ron Weasley stood beside them, arms crossed in obvious frustration, while Scorpius' parents stood a few feet away, comforting each other.

Upon realising that their children were in the room, all seven adults fell completely silent. Shacklebolt got to his feet, nodding solemnly at them to properly enter the room. Albus shared a look with his two friends and they stepped forward cautiously into the room.

"What's going on?" Albus asked, meeting eyes with his father, who had an unreadable expression across his face. The scar on his cheek was still there, the scar that had given the Daily Prophet an absolute field day when he had first been seen in public after the attack.

"You've seen the headlines, right?" He asked, as Ginny came forward and wrapped him up in a hug. Hermione and Ron did the same, coming to stand protectively by Rose, while Scorpius went to stand by his parents, whispering to them as surreptitiously as he could.

"Of course," He said, briefly hugging his mum back. He hadn't expected to see either of his parents until the summer, so it was quite a relief, no matter how strange the circumstances.

"Well..." Harry took a deep breath, his hand unconsciously brushing the wand that Albus knew he kept in his pocket at all times, "This has been going on for a while. We've managed to keep most of the attacks out of the public eye but we couldn't stop the one on Christmas day, nor this one, as it's the first attack where there are casualties."

"What are you trying to say?" Albus asked, frowning.

"I'm trying to say that it's starting again. These self-styled 'Pureblood Knights' seem determined to cause as much trouble as possible. We didn't take them too seriously, until now," Harry sighed, dragging a hand haphazardly through his hair, revealing the scar he had received as a baby. Albus couldn't help but flinch at the sight of it.

"Well, what now?" Rose asked from a couple of feet away. She stood tall, proud, determined, the spitting image of her mother apart from the blue eyes and the reddish tinge to her hair. Hermione smiled down at her sadly.

"It was a difficult decision to make, but..." Harry paused, taking a deep breath. He looked to Ginny, who nodded subtly in his direction, her arm still across Albus shoulder for comfort and support, "We've decided to reform the Order of the Phoenix."

"What?" Albus blurted out, "Surely things aren't that bad… There's no Voldemort, for starters!"

"That much is true," Shacklebolt agreed, "But we have consulted with Dumbledore's portrait and he agrees that it is the best course of action. We simply don't know how much worse things are going to get."

"Why are you telling us this?" Scorpius asked, flanked on either side by his parents. His eyes were wide, full of bewilderment and fear. His parents didn't seem to be feeling much better about the situation.

"Because we want you to be a part of it." Harry admitted, "You're all of age."

"Yes," Albus said within even pausing to think about it, "I'll do it. I'll join."

"Are you sure, Albus?" Hermione asked. Next to her, Ron smiled the slightest smile at him, a clear sign of approval, "This is a serious decision."

"I'm certain, one hundred percent," Albus said in the most determined voice he could muster up, trying his best to disguise the way his hands were shaking slightly.

"Me too," Rose interjected, "We'll do anything we can to help, right, Scor?"

"I'm in," He said, "Seeing as mum and dad are, too,"

"Who would ever have thought?" Draco wondered aloud, sharing a look with the three adults in the room who had been his mortal enemies when they were together at school. It made Albus smile to see them get along and be able to forget old rivalries and the fact that they were once more or less on opposing sides of an all-out war.

"Well, I don't think it would've been possible if it weren't for you boys," Astoria pointed out, "Your friendship made us realise what we've been missing out on all these years by hiding out in the Muggle world."

Scorpius blushed and swatted away his mum's hands as the adults in the room laughed in agreement.

"I'm, uh, glad we could help, Mrs. Malfoy," Albus said, grinning as Scorpius just blushed even more. "But what can we do? Here at Hogwarts, I mean."

"We don't want to ask too much of you," Shacklebolt said, sorting through a stack of papers on his desk, "Just… If you see anything suspicious, please don't hesitate to mention it to me or a member of staff."

"Of course. We'd do that anyway, but it'll be good to know there's purpose behind it." Rose said, fiddling with her hair.

"Exactly," Albus agreed, "I couldn't just sit around and do nothing. It wouldn't be right."

"I'm so proud of you," Ginny said fondly, "All three of you."

"Stop it, Mum!" Albus whined as Ginny bent down and kissed him on the cheek.

"We still need to talk to you, you know," Harry said, before winking and adding "About Christmas Eve."

"Oh, no, believe me, we don't have to do that. Everything is fine." Albus assured, feeling his cheeks heat up as everyone in the room turned to regard him curiously.

"Of course it is," Ginny said, "We're just worried about you drawing any more attention to yourself, as if the name weren't enough."

"I wasn't trying to draw attention to myself, Mum, honest!" Albus could have melted into a puddle on the spot right then and there, or let the ground swallow him up. As it was, his parents were still frowning at him with their concerned-parent expressions on, and everyone else in the room was being suspiciously quiet.

"Now then," Shacklebolt said, clearing his throat, "Who fancies a drink? I believe I have a bottle of oak-matured firewhisky back here somewhere..."

Albus' face blanched immediately as both Rose and Scorpius turned to look at him, sharing sly glances that Albus simply prayed to Merlin their parents wouldn't be able to interpret. From the way Draco's gaze was flickering back and forth between the three of them and Shacklebolt's almost silent chuckle before he turned and went to get the drinks, however, he knew he hadn't gotten away with it. They had all been teenagers once too, he had to remember, despite all the saving the world they must have been busy with.

Ten minutes later, the eclectic group of them were sat around Shacklebolt's desk using Transfigured bookmarks as chairs, sipping firewhisky, or pumpkin juice in Albus and his friends' case, discussing the new Order of Phoenix and what it would entail, when Professor Longbottom entered, looking tired and harassed.

"Drinking? Already?" He glanced at his watch before his face split into a grin, "Sign me up. I got here as soon as I could."

-

Albus leaned back in his chair and resigned himself for a long day spent not doing homework as he ought to be doing, but doing something that in the grand scheme of things was of far more importance.

That evening in the Ravenclaw common room, their usual meeting place as the other Ravenclaws didn't seem to mind them too much, the mood was sombre. Albus, Rose, and Scorpius had returned from Shacklebolt's office shortly before lunchtime, and were desperate to tell their friends, but they had been sworn to absolute secrecy, much to Rose's irritation.

The three of them spent the afternoon tucked away in a hidden corner of the library, planning what they should do about all of this. It was hard, frustrating work, and it made Albus' head hurt. As they planned and tried to remember what their parents had told them about the past, they finally had a solid idea in mind.

It had meant missing dinner, but having something concrete to work towards had made it more than worth it, though sacrifices would of course had to be made. When Albus thought about everything they had come up with that afternoon, and the implications it would have, he felt a strange mix of apprehension and nervous excitement, with just a hint of dread. Everything really was changing, though whether for better or worse it was impossible to tell.

And so, after a quick detour to the kitchens to speedily wolf down some sandwiches, Albus, Rose, and Scorpius had gathered their friends together in the Ravenclaw common room to tell them everything they could, with the exception of the Order of the Phoenix, which Albus still had trouble believing had been set up for a third time. Then again, the plan he and his friends had in mind wasn't exactly original.

"Is anyone else listening?" Rose asked, glancing around the room warily.

"No, it's just us." Haruko confirmed, once she had shooed away several First Years who were sitting rather close to the little nook that they had all managed to shove themselves into like a tin of sardines.

"What's this all about?" Marcus asked from where he sat on the floor, pressed uncomfortable close against Kofi, "And why did Shacklebolt want to see you?"

"We can't tell you about that… Sorry," Albus said as everyone groaned, ""We've kind of been sworn to secrecy."

"But," Scorpius added, stumbling over his words as everyone turned to look at him, "With everything that's been in the newspapers lately, with those… Pureblood Knights..."

"What a bloody ridiculous name," Stella grumbled as several people turned to high-five her. Sitting a few metres away was Jasper, who was quite obviously trying very hard to ignore her.

"Yeah," Scorpius agreed, "Anyway, we figured we couldn't just sit around and do nothing, so we thought..."

He trailed off, biting his lip and glancing in Albus' direction. This was it; there was no going back now. He steeled himself and took a deep breath before continuing where Scorpius had left off.

"We need to do everything we can to help, right?" He asked, raising his voice slightly. Everyone nodded in agreement, "And I was thinking back to when Dad was at school, how he set up his own secret group within school, to do whatever he could to help. It was a little different, of course, as they had Umbridge and the Ministry watching over them, but I also feel like there's more we should be doing than just what we learn in lessons. That's what I think we should do. Set up our own group."

The eleven of them sat in stunned silence for a few moments, trying to process their thoughts and understand exactly what it was that Albus was saying.

"So..." Rae piped up from where she sat at the very back, with Heather at her side, "A kind of… Dumbledore's Army 2.0?"

"Something like that," Albus agreed, smiling slightly at how ridiculous it all seemed. "Obviously, we'd need a different name..."

"Anyone got any suggestions?" Rose asked, surveying the group with her eyes narrowed.

Everyone muttered amongst themselves for a few moments, throwing named back and forth between themselves. Some were funny, some were sensible, and some were just plain stupid.

"How about 'Shacklebolt's Army'?" Marcus asked, grinning. Albus shot him a look that plainly said 'are you serious?'

"No." Rose said, glancing back at Albus with pleading eyes, "I refuse to call this group Shacklebolt's Army."

"Well, if we can't think of anything better..." Albus shrugged, "After all, it's just a name. We don't have to have one."

"Of course we do!" Scorpius complained, "Even 'Shacklebolt's Army' is better than nothing."

"No, no it isn't," Rose countered, glaring at him vehemently, "I refuse to be a part of this if we go with that name."

"Well… Like Albus said, we don't have to use it..." Scorpius pointed out. Around them, the room had fallen silent as their group watched the exchange between Rose and Scorpius with eager, curious eyes.

"Let's just leave it, okay?" Albus said, wondering if he would have to physically separate them in a moment, "We don't have to think of a name right here, right now. Neither do we have to think of a place."

"Fine, you're right, it's not worth arguing over," Rose conceded, crossing her arms and leaning against the wall in a huff. Scorpius threw his arms up in frustration and seemed on the verge of turning on his heel and leaving the room, but when Albus put his hand on his shoulder in what he hoped would be a comforting motion, he stayed put with only a barely noticeable sigh of defeat.

"How about..." Albus began, considering, "We all take a week. And if we can't find a place by then, or a name, well, I'm sure I'll be able to think of something. In the meantime, um, invite your friends, but not too many, and make sure you tell them to keep it all hush hush. As much as I'm sure Shacklebolt would love to be a part of 'Shacklebolt's Army,' I'm not sure any of us would want that."

"And if we can't sort everything out soon enough, the next Hogsmeade visit is in just a few weeks," Scorpius pointed out, "We might have to end up going to the Hog's Head, but I'm sure it'll be fine,"

"History repeats itself yet again," Albus muttered under his breath, having spent the morning listening to his slightly tipsy parents recounting tales of their time at Hogwarts. Scorpius, who had listened to it all avidly, nodded at him sagely.

"Hopefully not all of it..." Scorpius said, as people began to leave, yawning or whispering amongst themselves. They took that as their cue to leave, following behind Rose, Stella, and Marcus.

"I bloody hope not." Albus agreed, trying to force a smile. If history really was repeating itself, then he and his friends had a lot to be afraid of, and he wasn't sure he was quite ready to face anything that might be coming.

"You know we might have to give up the Room of Requirement, right?" Scorpius said quietly when they reached the point that would take them either to the Gryffindor tower or the Slytherin common room. Albus wasn't sure he was quite ready for Scorpius to leave, if only because he had been so helpful and supportive throughout everything that had happened on that crazy day and managed to keep an almost level head throughout it all.

"Shit… We probably will have to," Albus sighed, "No more crappy movie nights then, I guess."

"Oh please," Scorpius snorted, "I'd never give them up,"

"We might have to deal with some uninvited company," Albus said, gesturing over to Stella and Marcus who were flirting less than surreptitiously as they waited for Albus to join them. He almost didn't want to, as he would only end up being the third wheel anyway.

"Well.. We'll see," Scorpius said, 'Night, Albus."

"Night, Scor," Albus hugged him briefly before waving goodnight to Rose and jogging over to his two friends, making sure to separate them and stand between them the whole way back to the dorm.

All things considered, the possibility of the loss of the Room of Requirement as that precious space where he was free to be himself and hang out with his best friend was a rather terrifying one, and he resolved to find somewhere else their group could meet as soon as possible.

-

"You mean you've known about it this whole time?" Stella shrieked the next weekend as Albus paced up and down in front of the door to the Room of Requirement, willing it to suit his purpose and provide a warm and comfortable meeting area, as unlike the little cottage room that he and Scorpius spent so much time in as he could imagine.

"Uh… Yeah. Sorry." Albus apologised as a door at last appeared in the wall and everyone shoved their way unceremoniously through, "It was the lone wolf in me."

"Oh, piss off," Stella said jokily as she followed Albus into the room, her eyes immediately going wide with amazement, "Wow."

"Wow indeed," Albus agreed, smirking.

"You're such a prat," She grumbled as more people began to arrive, including people Albus was fairly certain he had never spoken to in his life, "But you know I love you regardless."

"Wouldn't want it any other way," Albus said with a laugh as Marcus pushed his way through the crowd that was gathering to join them.

"Oi, stop flirting with my girlfriend," He said defensively as Stella rolled her eyes and whacked him in the arm.

"Not your girlfriend yet," She reminded him, "As much as I would love to be, I think it's polite to wait a few weeks until we start officially dating, don't you think?"

"I mean, Jasper didn't even wait until the relationship was over," Marcus reminded her, earning him another half-hearted smack on the arm, "Ow!"

"You wuss, that didn't hurt," Stella giggled, "Ooh, I think everyone's here now. Looks like it's your time to shine."

Albus realised that Stella was right. By the door stood an awkward group of people made up of his friends, acquaintances, family, as well as people he barely knew. He took a deep breath before leaping up onto one of the many sofas that were dotted around the room and clearing his throat. The myriad of conversations around the room quickly died down as everyone turned to watch him with excited, curious, or even guarded expressions. Scorpius gave him a quick thumbs-up, an action which helped calm his frazzled nerves considerably.

"Right," He began, clearing his throat once more, before beginning the speech that Scorpius had helped him to write into the small hours of the morning, "You probably all know why we're here. If not, uh, well, ask a friend. You've probably all heard about the attacks recently – they're all over the newspapers – and basically I – we – just wanted to do something about it.

"You're probably thinking, 'why should I listen to this idiot?' and if I'm honest, I'm not sure why you should, either. I just believe that we need to fight back against the evil that seems to be rising again in the world, that we need to be a force for good within Hogwarts.

"And yes, I know, I'm the son of Harry Potter, but I'm not doing this solely because of that. I'm doing this because I see a problem in the world that needs fixing and I think we can be the ones to do that. We're the next generation of Ministers for Magic, of Aurors, of Cursebreakers or whatever else. The future is in our hands, and I believe that continuing to fight against the use of dark magic and the ancient, unfounded Pureblood ideology is our way of proving that we're not just going to let it all happen, let it pass us by without trying to help, without trying to make our voices heard.

"So – yeah. That's about all I have to say about that," Unexpectedly, the room erupted in cheers. Albus stepped down from the sofa clumsily, in almost a daze, as Rose and Stella began efficiently herding students towards the sign-up sheet that had been pinned up on the noticeboard in one corner of the room.

"That was amazing, Albus!" Scorpius enthused, wrapping him up in a spontaneous hug, "Sorry. Just, wow. Everyone's so excited about this and it's all down to you!"

"Thanks," Albus said, struggling to breathe slightly, as wrapped up as he was in Scorpius' bone-crunching hug, "You can let go now."

"Oh, yeah, sorry," Scorpius said, releasing him immediately and grinning sheepishly at him, "Got a little carried away."

"No, it's cool," Albus reassured him, "I feel such, like, an adrenaline buzz right now. To think, this is all because of us!"

"Good job, big bro," Lily said, emerging from the crowd of people all fighting to sign their names on the sheet, "I told my friends all about it, they were all super up for it."

"Oh, is that who all these strange children are?" Albus joked, gesturing towards the small clump of students who were all several inches shorter than the Sixth Years.

"Haha, very funny," She said, "But seriously. This is amazing, you should feel very proud of yourself."

"Thank you, Lils," He said, reaching over to ruffle her hair fondly, "I keep expecting you to tell me you're joking, but then I remember, you're not James,"

"Ugh," Lily pulled a face, "Thank Merlin for that. He's gone back to usual Auror training now, it's such a relief."

"For you, especially," He teased, as Lily glared at him, "Anyway, who are all your friends? You're usually so secretive about them."

"Well, there's Cody, he's in Hufflepuff," She began, pointing to a short boy with glasses and frizzy brown hair, "There's also Grace, Scarlett, Josh, and Rudy. He's Cody's twin, if you couldn't tell."

"I'm just glad that you've found such a supportive group of friends," Albus said, hugging her briefly, "And I'm so glad they've agreed to be part of this. I don't know what's going to come of it, if it's going to lead to anything at all… But I feel so much better knowing so many people are interested. Even if it is just our friends and our friend's friends."

"Albus, please, it's you!" Lily said, without elaborating.

"And that means what, exactly?" Albus asked, raising his eyebrow at Scorpius, who just shrugged back at him.

"You might not realise this, because you're so boneheaded, but everyone here thinks the sun shines out of your arse," Lily said, "And yes, part of it is probably just because of who our dad is, but people look up to you, respect you. Even the teachers."

"Professor Zabini sure doesn't give that impression," Albus said, with a laugh. It felt absurdly weird to think that he could ever possibly be popular, as he and his friends were probably about the nerdiest, most outcast, eclectic mixture of people in the school, but Lily was right. Aside from that one group of Gryffindors who tried to make his life difficult simply because of his house, as a general rule, people did seem to like and respect him, no matter how weird or socially awkward he felt he often came across.

"Lily's right, you know," Scorpius said, once Lily had returned to her friends, "Even the guys in my dorm think you're, like, the 'coolest guy on the planet'.

"Yeah, but they're a bunch of pricks, so why should their opinion matter?" Albus said, feeling suddenly rather irritated, "I'd rather have you, and Rose, and the others. Popularity is so superficial, as a concept. If I weren't the son of Harry Potter, I bet no one would know my name."

"You'd still have me, of course," Scorpius said, nudging him. People were beginning to leave, as Rose handed them a galleon each and told them to look out for details of the next meeting, a feature which they had quite obviously stolen from their predecessors, "I wouldn't let you get rid of me that easily."

"Of course not. And vice versa." Albus said, once it was just the two of them. He closed his eyes for a few seconds, and when he opened them again, he and Scorpius were back in their usual cottage room, "Now come on, I want to catch up on that show I've been telling you about, you know, the one with the vampires,"

"Okay, but we still have a lot of planning to do," Scorpius agreed, flopping into the sofa and turning the television on before flicking absently through the channels, "Oh, and homework, lots of homework."

"For Merlin's sake," Albus grumbled as he plonked himself down next to Scorpius and wrestled the remote from him, "Let's just have today, alright?"

How Albus was going to make it through the next few months, what with school, the Order of the Phoenix, and now this, he wasn't entirely sure, but knowing Scorpius would no doubt be by his side the entire time made everything seem a whole lot more manageable.


	29. Keeping Your Head Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is named after the song 'keeping your head up' by birdy, enjoy! and remember, you can always follow me on tumblr, i'm buzzybeewrites :)

"Don't you know your pain is mine, and I would die a thousand times to ease your mind?"

January came and went, and brought with it February, with promises of slightly better weather and the Second Task of the Triwizard Tournament. Albus and Scorpius wrapped up as warmly as they could, as even February wasn't enough to shake off the biting cold that had been omnipresent in the Hogwarts grounds since about the beginning of December and headed down to the Lake, where they had been informed the Second Task was to take place the previous evening

Like in the First Task, the shores of the Lake were dotted with stands, and were already beginning to fill up with students, despite the early hour. Scorpius, with the hope that this task might be ever so slightly more exciting than the first, had insisted on dragging Albus out of bed at an ungodly hour, so early that the sun still hadn't quite managed to rise above the horizon, and had then filled him with coffee from the machine next to his bed until he was actually conscious before throwing clothes at him and pulling him all the way out of the castle, with a quick stop by the kitchens to grab some food to sustain them throughout the day. Albus was not best pleased.

"Wake up!" Scorpius said, nudging him and jolting him awake. He hadn't even realised he had fallen asleep except for the strange crick in his neck. Wiping drool from his chin, he sat up a little straighter in his seat and looked around, "Ugh. Gross, Albus."

"I'm not ashamed of my drool," He retorted, yawning to prove his point, "Maybe if you hadn't woken me up at such a stupid time for such a stupid thing I'd be in my own bed, drooling on my own terms."

"Let's agree not to say the word 'drool' again today," Scorpius said, grimacing. In front of the lake, a number of teachers were setting something up, but Albus couldn't summon the energy to look properly. If he really wanted to know, he'd let Scorpius tell him; perhaps it would be a good chance to get another nap in.

"Fine," Albus said, yawning once more. When he was younger, he had been a morning person. It was funny how much things could change, "But this is still ridiculous. I can't even see the sun."

"Albus, we're in Scotland," Scorpius reminded him, in far too cheery a tone of voice for the time of day, "We can never see the sun."

"Ugh," Albus simply responded, pulling his woolly hat down further over his ears, which had been beginning to feel uncomfortably cold, and shuffling down into his seat, "Wake me up when it's over."

"Come on, there's only half an hour 'till it starts," Scorpius said, checking his watch quickly. "What do you reckon the teachers are doing?"

Albus opened one eye. By the lake, the teachers had their wands out, all pointed towards the Lake. A series of vibrant blue sparks were flying from their wands, deep into the mysterious blue depths of the Lake where they were swallowed up by the darkness. The three Heads of the different schools were patrolling, making sure that everything was being done properly and efficiently, while the judges, Michael Corner and Amelia Fittleworth, stood to the side, talking to each other and sipping mugs of coffee and generally ignoring what was happening.

"Don't know, don't care," Albus replied, closing his eye again. When he felt Scorpius' gaze on his, he opened them both, "Ugh. Fine. But you owe me."

Albus sat back up straight, stretching and just about managing not to whack the person next to him in the chest with his arm. He did feel a little more alert, even if he was still freezing cold. He shuddered involuntarily as it began to drizzle, only lightly, but a clear sign that heavier rain was on its way.

"The Champions are lucky, in a way," Albus said pensively, before slumping against Scorpius with a sleepy sigh, "At least they'll be in the lake. It won't matter to them if it's raining. Oh, and I will be complaining about it, by the way,"

"Wouldn't want it any other way," Scorpius said, patting him on the head, "Ooh, I think it's starting, everyone's here!"

With a groan, Albus pulled himself up once again and looked around. The stands were indeed full, even with more students arriving. A couple of metres away, Angela and her friends were arriving. When Angela spotted Albus she froze, wide-eyed, before shaking her head and strolling away from him as fast as her legs could take her, up to the very top of the stands.

"Awkward," Scorpius observed wryly, "At least we'll have a better view."

"That is all I care about, of course." Albus said sarcastically, just as Shacklebolt strode onto a little wooden plinth in front of the Lake, the three Champions in tow.

"Good morning, everybody, and welcome to the Second Task of the Triwizard Tournament. It also gives me great joy to welcome our three Champions back, and I wish them all the best of luck." Shacklebolt paused to give the crowd the chance to applaud, which they did with great vigour. Albus was glad for the applause, as he had been about to fall asleep again.

"As is perhaps rather clear, today's task will take place in the Lake. We have set up a labyrinth at the very bottom of the maze, which our three Champions must successfully make their way through. They have one hour, from… Now!"

The three Champions nodded resolutely to each other before diving into the water. Albus sincerely hoped they all had some kind of breathing apparatus with them, or it would be very difficult indeed. Once all three Champions were in the Lake, a series of holograms formed in the air above the Lake, like a camera following them all. It was a nifty little trick, and for once it meant the students could actually be involved in the action.

In the end, it was Samantha who won. The entire school had watched the Task unfold before their eyes with bated breath, as each of the three Champions faced mermaids, grindylows, and all kinds of mysterious creatures Albus would never have been able to name if it weren't for his three years of Care of Magical Creatures. Laurent had been disqualified a third of the way through when his air ran out and he was unable to magic up more in time.

Albus surprised himself by managing to stay awake the entire time, gripping almost unconsciously onto Scorpius' hand whenever things in the Lake looked like they were about to go south, which happened far more than Albus would have cared to admit. In the end he admitted, if grudgingly, that he had actually rather enjoyed himself, and would have done so even had Scorpius not brought coffee, sandwiches and various sweets with him.

-

"Today, class, we will be learning about wandless magic," Professor Zabini began, pacing up and down at the front of the classroom and surveying each person individually, scrutinising them as if to see whether they were up to the challenge, "A natural progression from non-verbal incantations,"

"Bloody fantastic," Albus muttered darkly to himself. Mairi glanced briefly at him, smiling sympathetically. Scorpius had been more or less ignoring her since Christmas, but she didn't seem to get the hint, and spent much of the lesson gazing at him wistfully while ignoring everything that Albus told her to write down, "As if I wasn't terrible enough at that."

"Now, wandless magic is often the very first manifestation of magic in a person; the use of a wand simply focuses that magic and directs it towards a specific target, hence why a child's use of magic is so often chaotic and haphazard. However, these skills can be honed, and can come in very handy should you come to be in a duel or fight and lose your wand." Zabini droned on. Albus tried his best to pay attention and scribbled a few notes down, since he knew it would likely be in the exam.

"Wandless magic is, of course, all about the power of the mind. It takes a huge amount of concentration, determination, and focus." Zabini explained as the class half-listened. Outside, it was beginning to snow, despite it being February, so many students were focusing on that instead.

"However," He continued, rapping his wand sharply against the wall to wake the students up from their daydreaming, "Using a wand can build up mental barriers against wandless magic, barriers which we will henceforth be attempting to break down."

"Isn't that dangerous?" Rose asked from the back of the classroom where she sat with Daisy Yorke, a Hufflepuff who had been there in the Room of Requirement along with a few of her friends from the house.

"Not at all," Zabini responded. Suddenly, every sconce along the wall was blazing brightly with a warm fire. After a few seconds, the lights were extinguished, "You see. Once you get control over it, it is quite simple. Now, I want you all to stand in a line with your partner opposite you. We will work on beginning to break down these barriers."

Unwillingly, Albus pulled himself to his feet and went to stand by Scorpius, dragging his feet all the way. In moments, the class were standing neatly in two lines, as Zabini prowled up and down between them like a tiger on the hunt, ready to strike at any moment.

"Close your eyes. I want you to imagine a wall," Zabini declared, continuing to pace, "It doesn't matter what kind of wall. Now, I want you to imagine breaking that wall, smashing it, firing a spell at it, just destroying it in any way."

Albus opened one eye, glancing around and trying to stifle a laugh at everyone's constipated expressions. Realising he should probably be concentrating, he did as Zabini said, imagining a wall, a great stone thing, like the Wall of China. He didn't want to destroy it, however; instead, he simply imagine a gate, and walked right through it.

"Now that your wall is destroyed, I want you to perform a simple stunning spell on your partner. This side first." Zabini gestured towards Albus' side of the room.

"Stupify!" One half of the class called out, with varying degrees of success. For the most part, nothing happened, except that a couple of students were pushed a couple of inches backwards. Albus, who had decided to watch the mayhem unfold before he tried anything, turned to Mairi, focusing all of his attention on the gateway in his mind as Zabini had instructed, before whispering 'Stupify'

Immediately, the room descended into a state of chaos. Mairi, as well as the two students either side of her, were thrown backwards through the air until they hit the wall, falling to the floor and looking dazed and confused. Meanwhile, the gate in Albus' mind was flung wide open and he couldn't for the life of him get it shut. It felt somewhat like a storm was brewing, a certain uncontrollable static in the air, both in his mind and permeating into the classroom. Everyone in the classroom had turned to look at him, all the while backing away slowly, as if they too would be hurt. Afraid, he closed his eyes.

"Mr. Potter, you can stop now," Zabini shouted over the noise of students muttering to each other. In the room, a distinct wind was beginning to blow, whipping cloaks and hair about wildly and sending sheets of parchment flying.

"I can't, professor!" He called, his eyes still shut tightly. In his mind he was like a ragdoll, being battered by the winds and the torrential rain as he battled to get the gate shut with very little success. One wrong move and he would simply be blown away, and what would happen to the classroom then? Why had he ever taken this lesson in the first place?

"Focus, Albus," Zabini's voice sounded distant and far away through the howling winds and battering rain. Albus barely felt like he was his physical self at all any more. Albus barely felt like he was his physical self at all any more.

"I'm trying," He cried out. He felt like he could lose himself at any moment, and was on the verge of just letting go, of giving up, when he felt two hands take his, warm and soft and grounding. Suddenly he could focus as the storm in his mind rapidly began to die down, until at last he could shut the gate and make the wall he had built disappear altogether.

"Albus, it's okay, you can open your eyes," A voice said, a modicum of calm amidst the great mass of panic he felt welling up in his chest. Swiftly, he opened his eyes, to find familiar eyes of stormy grey staring right back, full of worry and uncertainty. Glancing down, Albus realised that it was Scorpius who had taken his hands, Scorpius who had brought him back from wherever he had been. As if burned, Scorpius pulled his hands away, wiping them awkwardly on his robes.

"Right, well… Class over. Mairi, Dalia, Chioma, it might be best if you went to the hospital wing, just so the nurse can check you out." Zabini rubbed his temple as the class began filing out, stepping carefully over the mess that Albus had made of the classroom and peering at him curiously as they went. Scorpius stayed by Albus' side, fiddling anxiously with the sleeves of his robes, "Albus, care to talk about it?"

"What is there to talk about?" Albus asked, feeling unwelcome tears well up in the corners of his eyes, "I nearly destroyed your classroom."

"Oh, that's nothing, I can clear it up in a second," Zabini said, waving his hand, "You have a gift, Mr. Potter. Do you remember the first time you ever used magic?"

"Uh..." Albus thought back, searching through the few happy memories that he had of his early childhood, none of which involved using magic, "I don't, sorry. Mum always said I first displayed magic pretty early, earlier than most children… That's probably why."

"That certainly makes a lot of sense," Zabini said without elaborating, "I think it's clear that you're miles ahead of the rest of the class, but also clear that there is a lack of control. If you could come and see me every Thursday evening, I'm certain that we will be able to give you back control over your wandless magic. You truly do have a spectacular talent for it."

"Sure, Professor," Albus said apprehensively, "Are you sure it's a talent, though? That I'm not just spectacularly terrible at it? It's not like I've been good at anything else in this subject."

"Every witch or wizard has their areas of expertise or natural talent. I believe we have found yours today," Zabini said with a smug look of satisfaction. He turned, and with a wave of his wand the room was shortly back in order, "You and Mr. Malfoy may leave now."

"Oh. Okay. Thanks, Professor," Albus stuttered before grabbing Scorpius by the robes and dragging him out of the room with him, making sure he was out of Zabini's hearing range before he continued, "Great. I can't believe I have to have extra Defence lessons. The universe really does hate me. It's like Locke said, freedom really is an illusion."

"You've been reading the book I got you?" Scorpius said, perking up slightly. He'd been silent throughout Albus and Zabini's exchange, watching Albus carefully, which he hadn't missed.

"Of course, it's wonderful!" Albus enthused as they headed back to the Slytherin common room to get some studying done, "I've almost been thinking I would like to study philosophy at some point in my life but… I dunno, my parents expect me to stay here, in the Wizarding World. And now I have some amazing, spectacular talent, they'll expect me to work in a field where I can put it to use."

"You have a while yet to decide," Scorpius reminded him, "And after all, no one says you have to follow your parents' example. You're free to do as you choose."

"I could list many, many philosophers who would disagree with that," Albus said, laughing, "But I wouldn't want to bore you."

"You could never bore me," Scorpius said quietly, before blushing involuntarily as he realised what he'd said. Albus chuckled as he explained, "Not as much as this Astronomy essay, surely."

-

"Bloody hell, it's cold," Albus muttered as he and Scorpius walked down to Hogsmeade together that weekend, fighting through the relentlessly falling snow. The carriages weren't running due to the snow, and not many other students were willing to brave the sub-arctic conditions.

"I mean… As I find myself reminding you so often, it is February, and we are in Scotland." Scorpius reminded him, his voice muffled as he tried to speak through the scarf that he had wrapped around his face, "Anyway. I thought you loved the cold."

"I do!" Albus whined, trying his very best to see a positive in everything but failing miserably, "But even I have my limits."

"Wuss," Scorpius laughed, pushing Albus quite gently into a snowdrift. Albus simply lay there for a few seconds, unable to summon up the energy to get back up. Perhaps he could simply stay there forever, fall asleep, but then he would never finish Scorpius' philosophy book or learn how to control his wandless magic or see his little group learn new things, "Oh, for Merlin's sake, get up,"

"It's comfortable," Albus said through a mouthful of snow as Scorpius grabbed onto one of his gloved hands and pulled him back onto his feet. He glanced down to find his front completely covered in a think white blanket of snow, "Look, I'm a yeti."

"Come on, we're meeting in the Hog's Head in half an hour," Scorpius reminded him, "And I wanted to get some new books first."

"Ugh, fine, but I'm not spending more than two minutes in the Transfiguration section. Not like last time," Albus grudgingly agreed, trying fruitlessly to wipe the snow off his robes.

"It was only an hour..." Scorpius said, "And anyway, it would get us out of the cold."

"You know, it's not actually so bad..." Albus said, grinning, "It makes your nose all red, it's adorable."

"I'm not adorable," Scorpius muttered darkly, glaring at Albus, "I am the darkness."

"Yeah, whatever," Albus said, a bubble of laughter rising in his chest at Scorpius' indignant expression, "Let's get out of the cold."

They spent the next half an hour in the bookshop, Scorpius eagerly thumbing through books on Transfiguration and Healing while Albus lazily flicked through books about Potions, until eventually the assistant told them to move on as it became clear that they weren't actually intending to buy anything.

When they got to the Hog's Head, it was full to bursting with students, for possibly the first time ever. The pub was still as dark and dingy as it had supposedly been back in Albus' dad's time despite new management, and still had a notorious reputation for being a meeting place of witches and wizards who weren't considered reputable. Today, however, as it was a Hogsmeade day, Hogwarts students were the pub's only clientele, which Albus found to be something of a relief.

All of the students who had been there in the Room of Requirement were present, as well as a few others, who were scribbling their names furiously on the sign-up sheet, an old bit of parchment Rose had found while cleaning out her rucksack. Upon entering, all of the students turned to look at Albus curiously.

"Uh, hey guys," He said, having to raise his voice only slightly, "Thanks for coming and all that. I thought today we'd just… Talk through a few ideas of things we can do to help, uh, as well as continuing to think of a name since not many people were pleased with that."

As he sat down, someone passed him a rather dusty looking butterbeer. He accepted it gratefully and took a deep swig as he began to get to work on planning what their peculiar little group would be doing over the coming months. It involved the older students teaching the younger students some of the more complex aspects of Defence, Transfiguration, and Charms. Albus unwillingly agreed to join the younger students in learning about Transfiguration since he no longer took it.

After a while, the serious discussions descended into conversations about whose parents had done what during the last war, whose relatives had been killed in the fighting. Albus listened silently with a knot of worry growing in his stomach. Beside him, Rose sat, tight-lipped. Their family knew probably more than most the horrors of war, and they were both praying that nothing at all similar would come of all this.

Albus began to feel a little claustrophobic sitting there, surrounded by people who could talk about the war and their families with such ease whereas he struggled to even comprehend what had happened and what that meant for him, how he was possibly supposed to live up to his father's legacy. He supposed this would bring him just a little closer to fulfilling it.

"You alright?" Scorpius asked, looking faintly ill himself. Of course, Albus considered, he had good reason to want to avoid any and all talk of the war. With a jolt, he remembered his First Year self telling Scorpius that his father had been a Death Eater, and he just felt even worse.

"Have I apologised enough yet for what I said to you in First Year?" Albus said, a distinct sense of guilt and shame welling up in his gut.

"Al, that was five years ago," Scorpius reminded him with a small smile, "I forgive you. Not to mention that if anything, it brought Dad and I closer together, since now I understand his past and all the things he's been through. I mean, I'm not exactly going to say 'thank you' for it, but it happened a long time ago. We've both changed so much since then."

"You're right," Albus said, feeling the guilt begin to ease slightly, "I just… I still feel so bad. I know I was only eleven but it was still a horrible thing to do."

"It's fine, honestly. Eleven year olds are allowed to make mistakes to, you know?" Scorpius' voice was so full of kindness, of forgiveness, of compassion, that Albus began to feel guilty all over again. He glanced up to find Rose watching the pair of them, absently tapping her quill against the side of her head. When she saw him looking, she grimaced at him and returned to scribbling down notes.

"Yeah… I just made a pretty big one. If I hadn't done it, we'd probably have become friends right then. I can't believe I wasted an opportunity like that over one stupid comment," Albus sighed and shook his head in an attempt to clear it.

"What's done is done," Scorpius said with a shrug, "It sucks, but hey, we're friends now, and I wouldn't miss that for the world. Come on, let's get out of here, I need some fresh air.

"Good idea," Albus said, pulling himself out of the rickety wooden chair by the fireplace that he had ensconced himself in, "Uh. Keep planning stuff, guys. We'll be back."

The cold, while a little stifling, was cool and refreshing, and at long last Albus felt he could breathe. He and Scorpius simply wandered aimlessly for a little while, enjoying the atmosphere of the silence and the rapidly falling snow. It was falling so thickly and heavily now that Albus could barely see two feet in front of his face. It was as if the entire world was just him and Scorpius, trapped in a blanket of snow, and it felt weirdly wonderful.

"I think the cold is starting to grow on me," Scorpius said, his face alight with childish wonder as he tried to catch snowflakes on his tongue. The soft little flakes of snow were everywhere, in his eyelashes, dusted in his hair, making him look even more like a spectre than usual. He was quite beautiful, even, ethereal and pale as he danced through the street. Albus shook his head, trying to clear the absurd thoughts from his head.

"I'm glad you agree," Albus said, grinning wickedly as he gathered up a snowball in his hands, anything to distract himself, "You probably won't for much longer."

"What do you – oof!" The snowball caught Scorpius right in the chest, and he stumbled around drunkenly for a few seconds before falling into a gigantic snowdrift that came up almost to his waist. "Oh, no you don't!"

In seconds he was scrambling back onto his feet as Albus rolled a second snowball between his palms. This one hit him on the shoulder and caused him to fall right back into the snowdrift. Albus watched with growing amusement as he struggled to get back to his feet, until suddenly he turned around and propelled a snowball his way, which hit him right in the face.

Spluttering, Albus the snow from his eyes. When he opened his eyes, Scorpius was disappearing into the blizzard. In no time at all, Albus was completely alone, as he still struggled to remove all of the snow from his hair and his face.

"Scor, come on!" Al called out uncertainly, taking a few steps forward. He was greeted with nothing but continued silence, "Come on, I promise not to throw any more,"

Albus continued stumbling blindly through the snow, feeling distinctly panicky. Surely Scorpius would have come back by now; this wasn't like him. He couldn't get a hold of his surroundings; as far as he knew, he was in the middle of nowhere, completely isolated.

Upon hearing a distinct thudding noise behind him, he turned, but he couldn't see a thing. He was just considering pulling his wand from his pocket and using it to clear the way when he heard voices shouting, spells being cast, heavy footsteps that sounded far too close.

"Scorpius?" He tried to call out, but it was nothing more than a strangled cry, lost immediately in the howling wind that was beginning to pick up. He was less than happily reminded of his Defence lesson the previous week, and his stomach flipped with fear and anxiety.

"Al?" The shout came eventually, faint but definitely filled with fear. It could have come from anywhere, but there was no doubt in Albus' mind that this was Scorpius' voice. He raced forwards and nearly ran straight into a tree. Without a care, Albus continued to fight blindly through the snow, until another desperate cry came, this time for help.

"Oh Merlin," He muttered, trying not to let himself be frozen with fear. Through the snow, he could have sworn he saw a series of red sparks, so he ran towards them, tearing across the snow-covered ground with reckless abandon. When he reached the place where they had been, there was nothing to be found.

"Let's get out of here," Someone said from behind him. Albus spun on his heel to find a series of dark figures half-obscured by the snow. "He said not to touch the Potter boy."

A split second later, the mysterious people were gone. Albus could barely dare to breathe, and so his breaths came ragged and desperate. Then, as quickly as it had come that morning, the snow eased off, and Albus could at last see the gravity of the situation.

He wasn't far from the village itself, somewhere between the quaint houses and the Shrieking Shack. There was nobody to be seen, except -

A few feet away from him lay a figure in the snow. He knew it was Scorpius without a second's hesitation, buried in the snow as he was. His legs carried him over to his friend as if on autopilot, brushing the snow from his face, hair and clothes like a man possessed.

"Help!" He screamed, shaking him, but there was no reaction. Scorpius continued to lie there, eyes closed peacefully, as if he had just happened to fall asleep there and hadn't just been inexplicably attacked by a group of people in dark robes. He continued to scream, not sure if there was a semblance of meaning to his words, until people surrounded him and Scorpius, trying to pull him away from where he had Scorpius' hand in his in an iron grasp.

"Albus, please, let go," A gentle voice said from above. Albus glanced up to see Professor Longbottom and several other teachers standing around the pair of them, as students began to gather around the scene, whispering furiously. Albus shook his head vigorously, squeezing his friend's hand harder as if that would somehow wake him up.

"No, I can't, you can't make me," Albus screeched, continuing to brush the snow from his hair with his other hand as if that would have any effect.

"Please, Albus, we need to take him to the Hospital Wing. Immediately." Professor Longbottom took Albus' hand, pulling him away. Squeezing his eyes shut, Albus let go, falling back into the snow and crying, for once not giving a shit about who saw and what they would think of him, think of the son of Harry Potter.

Someone had hurt Scorpius, had tried to kill him no doubt, his best friend in the whole wide world, the only person who really truly understood him, and so he wept, and continued to weep, as Scorpius was carried away by several teachers. He didn't even particularly notice as Hagrid wrapped his heavy coat around his shivering body and escorted him up to the castle, assuring him that everything was going to be alright.

Because it wasn't.

Nothing was going to be alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for reading, don't forget to drop me a comment, and don't worry, the next chapter will be out before you know it :)


	30. Third Eye

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is named after the song 'third eye' by florence + the machine. enjoy, and remember, you can also follow me on tumblr, i'm buzzybeewrites :)

"You don't have to be a ghost, here amongst the living; you are flesh and blood! And you deserve to be loved, and you deserve what you are given!"

The waiting was the worst part.

Hagrid had somehow managed to get Albus back to Hogwarts, kicking and screaming the entire way, despite the awareness of hundreds of pairs of eyes on him at any one moment, and Professor Zabini had escorted him back to the Slytherin common room and ordered him to change into a new set of robes before he caught his death of cold. All Albus felt was constant fear, like a stabbing pain to his chest.

When he had showered and changed, he sat on his bed for what felt like an eternity, hardly daring to breathe as terrifying, unimaginable thoughts came unbidden, until at last he forced himself to get to his feet and go down to the common room. It was full to the brim with students hibernating from the weather, weather which Albus would forevermore associate with the horrible events of the day, all of whom turned to look at him as he entered.

"Albus!" He was startled from his morbid train of thought by Stella, who rushed up to him and wrapped him up in a gentle and much-needed hug, "Oh Merlin, Dad told me what happened, it's terrible, I'm so sorry,"

"He's in the Hospital Wing," Marcus said softly from Stella's side, a sea of calm to Stella's panicked babbling, "They might let you in."

Albus simply nodded, not daring to let himself speak or even open his mouth for what might come out.

"Dad's outside, he'll take you down if you like," Stella said once she had managed to slow her breathing down a little, "He knows how close you two are."

Albus let his friends lead him out of the room, staring at his feet and trying to ignore the stares that followed him out of the room. The silence as Professor Zabini followed him down to the Hospital Wing was almost deafening. It took all of Albus' effort to even get his feet to move forward one step at a time, but suddenly they were at the doors to the Hospital Wing and Albus was completely reluctant to enter.

"I'll let Madame Pomfrey know you're here," Zabini said, coughing awkwardly. Albus didn't respond, just continued to stare blankly at the doors. Scorpius was in there, on the other side, and he might have been alive or he might have been dead and Albus wasn't sure he was ready to hear either way.

"Come in, Mr. Potter," A kindly voice said. It was Madame Pomfrey, one of many of the staff at Hogwarts who announced their intention to retire at the beginning of every year and yet somehow always failed to go through with it. Her skin was thin and papery white, and worry creased her face. Albus simply couldn't make himself step into the room.

"I… I can't." He stuttered, his voice hoarse and scratchy from the screaming, focusing intently on his feet. Oh Merlin, this wasn't real, this couldn't be happening. He wanted to run a million miles in the opposite direction, to tear his hair out with anger and frustration, to -

"Albus?" He turned, confused, to find his father standing awkwardly in the corridor in his Auror robes, flanked on either side by his colleagues. The scar on his cheek stood out starkly, reminding Albus of just how shit everything was.

"Dad? What… What are you doing here?" He asked as his dad kneeled down in front of him and wrapped him up in a hug. He tried to get a solid grasp on his thoughts but they floated away like smoke. He wanted more than anything in the world to see Scorpius, to be certain that he was there but at the same time, seeing him would make it all so much more real.

"Auror business, after what happened…" Harry responded, brushing Albus' damp hair from his face before clambering to his feet, "I'm sorry, Albus. None of this is fair, but… Do you think you could tell me what happened?"

"I..." Albus sighed and tried his very hardest to articulate what had happened, though to him the words just sounded like faint buzzing in his ears, "I'll try. We were just having a snowball fight, I started it, and it was snowing so heavily I could barely see and Scorpius vanished and everything was so quiet, so still, but then I heard noises, footsteps, and Scorpius shouted my name and then – and then -"

"Hey, it's okay, breathe," Harry said soothingly, the way he would when Albus was younger and he'd fallen out of the tree in their little backyard and cut his knee open or when James had been teasing him, "We don't have to do this now. We have enough evidence for the time being."

"Thank you," Albus whispered.

"Come on, we can go in together if you'd like?" Harry asked, slinging his arm around Albus' shoulder. He nodded, almost imperceptibly, and together they headed into the Hospital Wing, into the unknown.

The room looked exactly the same as it always had, from the flowery curtains down to the beds in neat little rows, only one of which was occupied. A distinct scent of bleach and soap pinched at Albus' nostrils, reminding him unpleasantly of the times he had spent at St. Mungo's. Above all, there was a silence that permeated everything.

His body was screaming at him to get out, to flee, but he forced himself forward until he was at Scorpius' bedside. His best friend's chest was rising and falling far too slowly, and his skin was a deathly pallid shade. He looked peaceful, though, like nothing could bother him, and Albus smiled down sadly at him.

"When's he going to wake up?" He asked cautiously as Pomfrey began bustling about at his bedside, checking his temperature and adding another blanket to the many already piled up on top of him.

"Honestly?" Pomfrey began, gently tipping a gently bubbling blue potion down Scorpius' throat, "I'm not sure, Mr. Potter, the spells that were used on him were very complex and may have caused more damage than I originally believed. I have sent for some professionals from St. Mungo's to aid me, they should be here soon."

"But he'll be okay?" Albus bit his lip. Scorpius had looked completely undamaged from the fight and the thought that there was something happening to him that nobody could see yet was terrifying.

"I'm certain of it," Pomfrey confirmed, before hurrying away to her office. Albus wasn't entirely convinced, but he went and sat next to him and took his hand anyway, squeezing it like Scorpius had done so often for him when he needed support. There was no reaction; his breathing was still slow, his face still peaceful and composed.

"Scorpius! Oh, Merlin..." A shrill cry went up from the entrance to the room. Albus let go of Scorpius' hand as if burned as his mother rushed up, eyes red and puffy, clearly struggling to maintain the typical Malfoy composure expected of her in public. Even the war hadn't changed that, apparently.

Albus got to his feet and backed off a little as Draco joined his wife, clutching at her and trying to comprehend what exactly had happened. Draco's mask was dropped in seconds as he began to sob into Astoria's shoulder as if unable to look at Scorpius lying helpless and unconscious on the bed. He looked the spitting image of Scorpius on the few occasions that Albus had seen him really cry, and it made his heart ache.

"He's going to be fine," Harry said, coughing awkwardly. For the first time, the distraught parents realised that the two Potters were standing there.

"Fine?" Draco demanded, schooling his face into a haughty expression even as tears rolled down his cheeks, "How is any of this fine, Harry? Astoria and I both went to work today expecting that our son would be safe, as he always has been before. But this? Look at him, he's half dead!"

"Draco, love, please," Astoria whispered, placing her hand lightly on his shoulder. He shook it off, balling his hands into fists.

"No, I can't be calm about this. This school had a duty of care and responsibility to my son and it has failed miserably," He shook his head, a wry laugh escaping from his lips, "When he's better… And it better be when… I think we ought to consider what other options Scorpius has. He was offered a place at the local comprehensive, after all. I'm sure he'd be able to catch up in some way or another."

Astoria glanced at Harry briefly, eyes pleading, before she turned to her husband, "Please, Draco, you know Hogwarts is the safest place for him. It happened in Hogsmeade, after all, which is relatively unprotected. Now he's here, he has nothing to fear, and neither do we."

"You're right," Draco said, falling back into the chair at Scorpius' bedside with a sigh, "I just don't know how I'm supposed to feel about this."

"Nobody does," Harry said, absently touching both the torn, ugly scar on his cheek and the delicate lightning bolt on his forehead, "We thought this was all over twenty years ago. Believe me when I say that the years you were gone were an era of almost unprecedented peace. If anything, it's our fault. We were lulled into a false sense of security, a belief that things like these couldn't possibly happen again. I was wrong, we all were."

"If we're going to have to fight again," Draco began, a determined edge to his voice, "Then I'm glad we're going to be on the same side."

"As shit as all of this is, I'm glad too, Draco." Harry said, reaching over the bed and holding out his hand. Without a second's hesitation, Draco took it, shaking it thoroughly, "I'm just sorry it didn't happen a long time ago."

"The past is in the past," Draco said with a shrug as his arm retreated back to his side. Albus just stood there, watching the exchange silently whilst also making sure Scorpius was still alright, still breathing. He could sense someone trying to catch his eye and glanced up to find Astoria smiling kindly at him, "What's important is what we do in the future, for our children."

"Agreed," Harry said, taking Albus' shoulder and pulling him closer protectively, as if he never wanted to let him go. Albus felt the same way.

"I just need to know, Albus," Astoria said, brushing a speck of dust from her dress to avoid anyone seeing the way her mouth turned down at the sides, the way her eyes crinkled with the effort of keeping tears at bay, "How all of this happened."

"Only if you feel up to it, of course," Harry nodded.

"I do." Albus said, his voice dry. It took him a few moments, but he managed to get it all out somehow. When he explained how he had found Scorpius, he'd thought he was going to be sick, but he got through it, trying his best to stare at the ground and not at the two Aurors standing sentry at either side of the doors, listening to him intently.

"There's no doubt at all that these were the same people who attacked us on Hallowe'en, the people behind that recent spate of attacks," Harry's voice was suddenly professional, devoid of all emotion. It was a side of him that Albus had seldom seen before, and he wasn't sure he liked this side of him.

"The Pureblood Knights?" Albus asked, frowning.

"Ridiculous name," Draco spat.

"Yes," Harry said, nodding solemnly, "They always seem to be one step ahead of us… As today has clearly shown. But we can't let this go on, we can't let them think it's acceptable to attack a Hogwarts student."

"Do you believe Scorpius was targeted?" Draco asked, leaning forward on his elbows. His voice was barely a whisper, and Albus had to strain to catch it.

"Definitely," Albus responded, hardly daring to meet his all-too-familiar grey eyes, "I'm sorry, I just remembered, but I heard them talking. They said to leave me alone, that I... I dunno, I wasn't part of the plan..."

"That just makes things a thousand times worse," Draco leaned back, running his hands through his hair in obvious frustration.

"Mr. Potter, sir, we have to get back," One of the Aurors at the door said, glancing at his watch, "Ms Granger wishes to speak to you about this. She wants to make an official statement."

"Oh, don't tell me this has gotten out to the Press already," Draco groaned, "As if we haven't been in the Prophet enough recently."

"Hermione's doing all she can, believe me," Harry reassured him, "There will be no names, no specifics."

"Thank you," Draco said, "For everything."

"No worries." Harry said, turning on his heel to leave, "Keep me updated. Albus, are you heading back, or?"

"I want to stay here." Albus said, clenching his fists to try and stop them from shaking. He was still a mess, a ball of anxiety and stress and worry, but he couldn't let his father see all of that; he had more than enough things on his mind, "In case he wakes up."

"Of course." With a last quick hug, Harry and the Aurors were gone, and it was just Albus and Scorpius' parents left in the room.

At some point, after the three had spent an eternity sat in complete and uncomfortable silence, Pomfrey reappeared with several Mediwizards at her side, and for a while Albus was pushed away as curtains were drawn around the bed and the Mediwizards got to work. When the Nurse spotted him loitering right at the edge of the curtains, she bundled him out despite his vehement complaints and told him in a no-nonsense tone of voice to get some dinner.

For a while it was all he could do not to punch down the door and storm right back in, but after simply punching the wall a couple of times, ignoring the way his knuckles stung, he sauntered down to the Great Hall, as it was much closer than the kitchens and he wasn't certain his legs could carry him all that way.

When he reached the Hall, he couldn't help but notice that it was entirely silent, though on a normal day it was brimming with laughter and merriment. Then again, this wasn't a normal day, far from it. Albus lurked at the door for a few moments until he found Rose and Lily sitting next to one another, heads pressed tightly together. Taking a deep breath, Albus strolled through the room to join them, trying his best to stick to the shadows.

"Hey," He said quietly, sliding into the seat next to Lily.

"Albus, oh Merlin, is he alright? Please tell me he's alright, I've been worrying myself sick all afternoon," Rose blabbered, unable to stop herself. Both Lily and Albus allowed her to vent for a couple of seconds until she paused for air, at which point Lily swooped in.

"He's going to be fine," She said softly, taking in Albus' expression, "If he wasn't, Albus wouldn't be here, would he?"

"Lily's right." Albus agreed, feeling his throat tighten. He could just tell that everyone in the Hall had their eyes on the three of them, and at that moment he hated being the son of Harry Potter more than he ever had before. "Some Mediwizards came from St. Mungo's… Just to be sure… But Pomfrey told me I should eat, as if I have an appetite."

"No, you really should eat." Rose insisted, piling a plate high with pasta and shoving it into his face. Albus wrinkled his nose at the smell, which only served to make him feel even more queasy than he had before.

"You'll feel loads better," Lily said, smiling sadly, "And then me and Rose can take you back to the Hospital Wing, if you'd like. Pomfrey might not let us in but we'll try. We want to be here for you – for both of you."

"Fine," Albus agreed grudgingly, heaping a forkful of the pasta into his mouth. It tasted more like ash than anything, really, but he ate it all in silence. At least his stomach wouldn't be rumbling anymore. Above all, he felt a distinct sense of numbness, like he wouldn't ever be able to feel anything ever again.

"Al?" Lily asked quietly, leaning in to brush a strand of hair from his face that had fallen into his eyes without him realising, "Are you going to be okay?"

"This isn't about me, is it?" He said with a sigh, letting his fork drop back onto his plate with a clatter, "And it shouldn't be. What I feel doesn't matter right now. All that matters is Scorpius, and making sure he's going to be okay."

"That's a very admirable way of looking at it," Lily patted him gently on the shoulder, "Come on, big bro, we'd better get going."

The three of them made a strange parade as they left the Hall, Albus flanked at either side by his sister and his cousin like two bodyguards. He was grateful for their presence, however, as several people he vaguely recognised from around school approached him, their eyes burning with obvious questions. At a sharp glare from Lily or Rose, they all but one changed their minds.

"Albus, I heard what happened – is Scorpius alright?" Mairi bounded up to him, a little more warily than usual, with tears making tracks in the makeup on her cheeks.

"It's none of your business," Lily said sharply, meeting Mairi's gaze levelly. Mairi blinked before taking a cautious step back.

"I was only wondering..." She said, biting her lip as fresh tears welled in her eyes. Albus tried to feel some kind of sympathy for her, but all there was inside of him was the overwhelming numbness.

"Well, you didn't need to," Rose added, grabbing Albus' arm and pulling him out of the room, Lily on their heels after making sure that Mairi wasn't about to follow them down the Hospital Wing.

"What the hell is that girl's problem?" Lily muttered half to herself as the three of them marched through the corridor with clear determination.

"She thinks she's in love," Rose said, failing to hide her disgust, "But she doesn't know what love is."

"Deep," Lily replied. Rose simply stuck her tongue out. The conversation between them felt a bit stifled, unnatural, but Albus knew they were trying to act normally for his sake, and he appreciated that. In everything that was happening, normality was all he needed.

When at long last they reached the Hospital Wing, it was Lily who took over, knocking on the door and insisting that the three of them see Scorpius, or Rose and Albus at the very least, as they were his best friends. With a barely disguised sigh of irritation, Pomfrey allowed all three of them to enter, imploring that they be quiet as Scorpius' parents were still there, and he could wake up at any time.

Albus still felt a jolt of shock course through his body upon seeing Scorpius again. Thankfully, he looked a little better, his cheeks a little pinker and his breathing a little deeper. Unable to stand anymore as his legs felt like jelly, Albus sank into the chair next to him, pulling his legs up and wrapping his arms around his knees.

"He's going to be fine, Madame Pomfrey just told us. Hopefully he'll wake up any moment now." Astoria said in a quiet but infinitely soothing voice, the kind of tone of voice that it seemed only a mother was capable of effectively pulling off. Albus nodded, even managing to smile briefly at her.

"I'm so glad to hear that, Mrs. Malfoy," Lily said, beaming. Albus could almost feel the happiness and infectious enthusiasm and optimism radiating from her, "We've all been so worried since we heard the news."

"Naturally," Astoria said, nodding her head gracefully, "I must say, despite all of this, it's wonderful to see just what brilliant friends Scorpius has. He talks about all of you all the time in his letters, it's so lovely to meet you in person at last, Lily."

"Oh, thank you." Lily said, blushing, a sigh Albus wasn't sure he would ever quite get over, "We haven't known each other long, but he's without a doubt one of my best friends."

Albus leaned back, letting the peculiar conversation between his sister and his best friend's mother wash over him as he closed his eyes and settled further into the slightly uncomfortable plastic seat. After a while, having not realised he had fallen asleep, Rose was nudging him awake.

"What time is it?" He said, rubbing sleep from his eyes. His head felt heavy, as if he wasn't quite sure what year it was and nothing around him quite made sense. The room was pitch dark, and he could barely make out Rose and Lily through the darkness.

"It's a little before midnight," Rose said, glancing at Lily, who was yawning widely, "We have to go. Pomfrey says you can stay if you really wish, although Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy have gone home for the night."

"I'll stay," Albus insisted, "Is he okay?"

"He woke up for a few minutes earlier," Rose began, immediately cut off by Albus.

"And nobody bothered to wake me up?" Albus demanded, leaping to his feet and rushing over to check on Scorpius, who was still sleeping, this time on his side and snoring endearingly.

"Pomfrey said you'd be better off getting some proper rest for once," Lily said, shrugging slightly, "Sorry, bro. You know we'd have woken you otherwise."

"Here," Rose said, passing him a blanket she had pilfered seconds before from one of the other beds, "At least you'll be warm."

"Thanks," Albus said, truly grateful, "I'll… See you in the morning, I guess."

"We'll be there as early as we can," Rose promised, kissing him briefly on the cheek as Lily wrapped him up in a hug, "And remember: Get some sleep, Scorpius is going to be just fine. He's safe here, and so are you."

"Goodnight," Albus called out as Rose and Lily slipped out of the room, waving at him.

Even with Scorpius in the room, he felt completely alone. He paced around the room a few times, unable to calm his thoughts or cease the sick feeling of guilt that had settled in his stomach some time ago. He couldn't help but feel that this was all his fault; if he hadn't initiated the snowball fight, then Scorpius wouldn't have gotten lost in the snow and Albus would have been able to see the attackers, could have done something about all of this instead of standing idly by.

Frustrated, he sat back down into his chair, wrapping the blanket around himself as he began to shiver. Though all the candles in the room had long been extinguished, a sliver of moonlight was peeking through the curtains, illuminating Scorpius, still sleeping soundly.

Hesitantly, Albus extracted his hand from his blanket and stretched his arm slowly towards Scorpius' prone figure. His fingers were mere inches away from brushing gently against his cheek before he pulled away awkwardly, wanting more than anything to wake him up but unwilling to disturb his peaceful sleep.

Breathing out a soft sigh, Albus settled back into the chair and tried his best to get some more rest. When sleep came at last, after much tossing and turning, it was fitful, and he woke in fits and starts at various intervals, swearing to himself that Scorpius was no longer there, that he'd died and they had taken his body away, but he was still there by Albus' side throughout the night, looking so small and underwhelming under the mountain of blankets. The sight of Scorpius lying there seemed to be emblazoned onto Albus' eyeballs, onto his memory.

He awoke fully with a jolt to the sight of soft, early morning sunlight streaming through the flowery curtains and Madame Pomfrey fussing about, straightening up Scorpius' bedsheets and placing a tray of food at his bedside. She paid Albus no mind as he stretched and yawned widely, his jaw creaking, before she bustled away, tutting and carrying Albus' makeshift blanket with her.

Albus simply watched Scorpius for a little while, smiling to himself at his tousled blonde hair, so different to his usual neat style, and the soft snores he was emitting. Despite the distinct sense of fear and dread that still lingered in his stomach, occasionally eliciting a sob or frenzied shaking of hands, despite all that, he felt optimistic, watching the orange sunlight play across his friend's peaceful, sleeping features.

Feeling restless, he got to his feet, pacing around the room, peering curiously out of the window and gazing listlessly out at the sun rising over the horizon, bathing the grounds of Hogwarts in an unearthly orange glow. At this hour, even the chirping of the birds was muted, and the snow covering the grass and surrounding mountains gave everything a sense of isolation, one that wasn't particularly comfortable and reminded Albus painfully of the day before.

"Albus?" Came a croaky voice from behind him. Albus jumped several feet into the air before spinning around to face his best friend, who was wide awake at last and watching him with a pensive expression as he shuffled himself into a sitting position.

"You're awake!" Albus said, trying to fight the grin from his face, "I'm so happy to see you awake, you wouldn't believe… This past day has been torture."

"It hasn't been much fun for me either, you know," Scorpius responded in his usual sarcastic tone of voice as Albus glared sharply at him from the window. "Sorry. That was insensitive. I'm glad to see you too."

"Perhaps I'll take it back," Albus shrugged before settling back in to the seat next to Scorpius, "But honestly? You're going to be okay?"

"I think so..." Scorpius said, wincing at some unseen pain and clearly struggling to keep the wicked smile on his face, "I don't know what the hell they did to me, but it's nearly impossible to heal. Like a wound that keeps opening, everywhere. I'll get over it soon enough."

"Only you could be so blasé about all of this," Albus said, gesturing vaguely about himself, "I thought you were… I don't know… Dead or something."

"I wouldn't make it that easy to off me," Scorpius said, leaning over and taking a long sip of water before tearing eagerly into the bread that Pomfrey had left at his bedside, "Here, you want some?"

"No, thanks," Albus said, trying to ignore the way his stomach rumbled at the sight of the food, "You're the one who's healing, after all. You'll need all the food you can get."

"Your loss," Scorpius shrugged through a mouthful of food, "So… What's going to happen now?"

"I don't know," Albus said, resting his head in his hands, "All of this is so fucked up. I don't know what to think anymore. If it was anyone else in school, I'd be scared shitless, but it was you, and now I'm just… I can't even articulate how I feel. I should've done more to prevent it."

"Shut up," Scorpius shook his head, "You did nothing wrong. Whatever it was, what happened to me was completely unprecedented and obviously well planned. There's nothing anybody could have done, me especially. Why me, though? I'm not special."

"None of this makes any sense," Albus said, clutching the edge of the seat and watching as his knuckles turned white, "It's probably just to create fear, panic – why they had to choose you to prove their point, I really don't understand. Surely attacking me would have made more sense, like it or not I have a much higher profile..."

"They did what they did, Al, and there's no point dwelling on it,"

"How can you say that?" Albus said, bristling with anger, "After what they did to you?"

"Because I have faith," Scorpius began once he had swallowed the last piece of fruit on his plate, "in the Aurors, in the Order, in the school, to keep us all safe. Yes, I'm scared, I'm terrified, but there's nothing we can do, except keep working together and encouraging cooperation within school."

"Yeah, I suppose," Albus sagged back into his chair, feeling utterly useless, "We're doing all that we can. It just never feels like it's going to be enough."

Scorpius was about to respond when the doors to the Hospital Wing were flung wide open and Shacklebolt strode in, eyes ablaze with anger. Behind him were Scorpius' parents, who seemed visibly relieved to see their son awake and sitting up in bed. Astoria flashed Albus a brief smile as the three of them came to a halt before Scorpius' bed.

"Mr. Malfoy," Shacklebolt said in a calm tone of voice, a complete contrast to the anger present on his face, "I trust you're feeling well?"

"Yes, Headmaster," Scorpius said, smiling a watery smile and sticking his thumb up in the air before realising that Shacklebolt was staring at him peculiarly. He lowered his hand awkwardly, his brows creased with worry, "Has anything else happened?"

"Thankfully not," Shacklebolt responded, breathing out a sigh of apparent relief, "Though we haven't found any leads as to who could possibly have done this to you. I would like to… Apologise. This shouldn't have happened, especially not so close to the school."

"Oh. Uh, apology accepted, I guess," Scorpius fiddled awkwardly with his blankets, "I just hope nothing like this happens again."

"Me too, Mr. Malfoy." Shacklebolt said, nodding sagely, "We've stepped up security around the school and grounds, of course, as well as in Hogsmeade."

"A bit bloody late," Draco muttered, pursing his lips as Astoria tutted angrily from beside him.

"You understand the pressure I'm under right now, of course?" Shacklebolt said, turning to regard Draco with a haughty expression. Draco sighed and nodded wearily, the dark shadows under his eyes stark against his pale skin. Astoria looked little better, her hands trembling and her eyes glistening as if with tears as her hand went to wrap protect around her stomach.

"Uh, should I… Go?" Albus said, dissipating the tension that had begun to build in the room, thick and suffocating. The three adults turned to look at him with mixed looks of shock and surprise, "I mean, Scorpius is going to be alright, and I have work to catch up on..."

"Hey, so do I!" Scorpius complained, "I'd rather be doing homework than stuck in this stupid bed, unsure if I can even walk or whatever."

"I can come back later, and we can do that Arithmancy essay, if you really want to," Albus said, grinning slightly at Scorpius' petulance, "But I think you need some time with your parents."

Scorpius glanced between Albus and his parents for a few seconds, crossing his arms, "Fine."

"Albus, perhaps it would be best if you came with me, up to my office, we can discuss some… Things," Shacklebolt suggested. Albus regretted having ever spoken; if he had known Shacklebolt wanted to speak to him he never would have opened his mouth. After all, he never had spoken to him after Christmas Eve, and now they had this mess to talk about.

"Of course, Headmaster," Albus said, getting warily to his feet as Shacklebolt headed towards the door. Scorpius' parents were fussing over him once again, making sure he had enough blankets and that the food was adequate as Scorpius tried his best not to look as uncomfortable as he clearly felt.

Without a second thought of the consequences, Albus rushed back over to Scorpius' bed and hugged him briefly, trying to pour all of his feelings into that one brief second of close contact, of all the relief and happiness he felt that his friend was going to be alright, of all the fear and anxiety he still felt regardless. He pulled away and straightened up, smiling sheepishly at Scorpius' parents who both looked rather surprised.

"See you later," Albus said quietly, before jogging over to join Shacklebolt without once glancing back in Scorpius' direction.

"You and Mr. Malfoy are very good friends," Shacklebolt observed as they strolled through the corridors. Albus was sick of all the pointless back and forth walking he had done in the past twenty four hours, to the extent that Hogwarts' stone walls just pissed him off somehow, "It's wonderful to see that barriers can be broken, that the past can be overcome."

"Uh, thank you, Sir." Albus said, struggling to keep up to the Headmaster's quick pace.

"And about Christmas Eve, don't worry, you're not in trouble," Shacklebolt said, chuckling to himself.

"Thanks… Again..." Albus said, wishing more than anything that this day could just be over, that he could go and complete his Arithmancy homework with Scorpius so that everything would have at least a semblance of normality. He didn't blame Shacklebolt for wanting to speak to him, but he rather wished that after everything that had happened, he could just be with his best friend. Even after only a few moments apart, he was beginning to feel anxious, wondering if he was still alright, that his wounds were healing properly.

It was a strange realisation, that distinct awareness of a lack of Scorpius. Thinking himself an idiot, he hurried after Shacklebolt, longing for their conversation to be swift so that he could return to his best friend's bedside, the only place he really felt he could be just then.


	31. Now

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is named after the song 'now' by paramore, i hope you enjoy it! :)  
> also, this chapter lightly touches upon the theme of suicide, like hardly at all really, but if you think that'll be triggering for you then please tread carefully

"There's a time and a place to die, but this ain't it"

By the time Scorpius was discharged from the Hospital Wing, five agonisingly slow days after he had been admitted, Albus had come to realise that his life would never be and could never possibly be normal or easy. Perhaps it was a side effect of being Harry Potter's son, a legacy that just wasn't ready for itself to be shaken off, or perhaps the universe truly did have it in for him.

Whatever the reason, the days that Scorpius was in the hospital were some of the worst and most irritating of Albus' short life. He couldn't be alone anymore, or he would constantly be bombarded with questions about what had happened at Hogsmeade by students he swore he had never seen before in his life, who wouldn't leave until one of his friends came and spared him.

It was a stark reminder of who he really was, which he had somewhat allowed himself to forget over the years. It was also an unpleasant reminder of just how much more he could have done; if he were his father, he probably would have stopped the bad guys and saved Scorpius without even batting an eyelash. As it was, he wasn't his father, and he would never be anything like him. Seeing Scorpius sitting up in his white, sterile hospital bed each afternoon was the unfortunate consequence of that.

Scorpius being Scorpius, he hadn't told a soul about being discharged from the hospital wing, and so when he turned up to Potions in the middle of Professor Scamander's endless witterings about the benefits of the wolf spider's venom over the black widow's, smiling if a little pale and unsteady on his feet, Albus nearly jumped out his chair in a peculiar mixture of horror that his friend hadn't told him he was being released and excitement that he was well enough to be returning to lessons.

"Hey," Scorpius said nonchalantly, sliding into the seat next to Albus. After five years of Potions lessons, Scamander had at last allowed his students to sit where they wanted to, and Albus and Scorpius had been certain to take full advantage of that.

"They let you out, I see," Albus whispered as he hastily scribbled down a few of the ingredients needed for his Draught of the Living Dead.

"Indeed," Scorpius said, pulling his book from his bag and immediately getting to work, "I mean, the Mediwizards gave me the all clear and Pomfrey couldn't think of a reason to keep me in there so she let me out. Thank God."

"Oh yeah, I bet you're thrilled to be back doing Potions," Albus laughed, once he had glanced around to make sure Scamander was occupied at the other side of the room. Thankfully he was, as Stella and Rose had been caught giggling to one another. Albus rolled his eyes in their direction, not that he was any better.

"I've actually kind of missed it," Scorpius said, putting his pen in his mouth pensively, "Despite how shit it all is, it's reinvigorated my passion for learning."

"Only you..." Albus said with a stifled sigh as Scorpius whacked him across the arm, "What? It's true! After all you've been through, and all you can think about is bloody school. Typical!"

"Surely it's not exactly news that I'm a massive dork?" Scorpius asked, his voice almost dripping with sarcasm.

"All I'm saying is, I'm honestly surprised sometimes you're not in Ravenclaw." Albus said as he heaved his cauldron onto the desk, trying to decide whether he could be bothered to go and collect the necessary ingredients.

"Sometimes I wonder that myself," Scorpius said with a shrug, "Well, too late now. Did I miss any news while I was in there?"

"Not really…" Albus thought back to all the gossip Stella had eagerly recounted to him each evening in the Common Room, "Jasper and his new girlfriend broke up… You know, the one he cheated on Stella with? Old girlfriend now, I guess. Oh, and Angela tried talking to me in the corridor yesterday but I sort of just blanked her, you know what I'm like."

"No," Scorpius said, "I mean like, real, actual news. My parents wouldn't tell me anything for fear it might upset me."

"Oh… You mean news news?" Albus leaned his chin on his hand, considering all the Daily Prophet headlines he had managed to glance before Rose whipped the newspaper away from under his nose, "There have been several more attacks. And they publicly claimed responsibility for your attack, the 'Pureblood Knights'."

"Really?" Scorpius paled visibly, the pen in his hand trembling as he tried valiantly to hide how much that fact clearly scared him, "Shit."

"Yeah. The world's a messed up place right now," Albus said, trying to hide just how terrified he was, too, "Come on, Let's get this potion done, I'm sure you'll forget all about it."

If anything, he felt rather like he was trying to convince himself more than anybody else.

* * *

The next couple of weeks were like a slow kind of torture. Each morning brought with it fresh reports of attacks, at the Ministry, in Muggle villages, in Wizarding communes, in big cities. With each brash headline in the Prophet came less horror from the students, more of a dull acceptance of the turn of events and the knowledge that there was nothing anyone could do about it.

Albus forced himself to read every report, every headline, just in case it made mention of his father, or his uncle, or his brother, who was currently stationed at some secret location trying to scout out the Pureblood Knights. Thankfully, none of them did, but when news arrived of an Auror killed off duty, sometime near the end of February, Albus had had to excuse himself from the breakfast table and run to the bathroom to vomit, unable to contain his breakfast or his sheer terror any longer.

Even Valentine's Day, usually giddy and full of awkward exchanges in the corridor, was a sombre affair. Not even Mairi attempting to give Scorpius a rose in Defence could lift his spirits, nor when Scorpius had awkwardly stuttered that he was allergic to them, which was a blatant lie. The pink and red decorations in the Hall had just seemed gaudy, and had wisely been removed by lunchtime once it became clear that nobody was in the mood.

By the end of the month, Hogwarts, and presumably the rest of the Wizarding world, had become a dreary and lethargic place. The panic in the air that had been evident around Christmas and Scorpius' attack had become more of an omnipresent sense of dullness, an awareness that the world was falling apart once more and there was nothing to be done.

The only time that Albus ever felt safe, or happy, or optimistic anymore was in the Room of Requirement each Saturday afternoon. The group, which had continued to expand until it contained a steady thirty or so students, were proving to be a kind and sympathetic lot, and the younger students didn't even seem to mind when Albus joined them in their Transfiguration lessons. It was probably partly down to Lily and her infectious friendliness and enthusiasm, but he didn't even mind that.

After a couple of weeks, Albus came to realise that he didn't even regret having to divulge the location of the Room of Requirement. None of the other students seemed to use it except for the usual Saturday meetings of their still nameless group, though the name Shacklebolt's Army was tossed about more than Albus or his friends liked, and so Albus still had his favourite respite for when the world got too much, as it often seemed to. Most of the time, Scorpius was there, too, and the pair of them caught up with their favourite Muggle shows either in comfortable silence or to the occasional crunching sounds of popcorn or crisps.

Albus knew none of the little good in his life could last, but he enjoyed what precious few moments he still could while he had the chance.

* * *

One morning at the very end of February, when the blanket of snow surrounding Hogwarts had gradually begun to recede, Albus was proved devastatingly right.

It started off as any other day in February had, as bleary eyed students surveyed the headlines of the Daily Prophet before sighing in frustration and tossing the broadsheet to the side. Albus was not one of these people; he preferred to sit off to the side, gazing intently at his cereal and praying he didn't hear a name he recognised, which was ridiculous, as the school would of course inform him if anybody he knew was involved.

This morning, thankfully, there was no bad news; no new attacks, no injuries, no casualties, but there was no good news, either; no breakthroughs, no arrests, nothing. It should have eased Albus' mind, but instead he was more afraid of what would come next.

Scorpius sat next to him, as quiet as usual, and so it took Albus a few seconds to shake himself from his listless reverie and notice the letter in his hands, or the way he was shaking visibly, or the expression of sheer horror on his face.

"Is everything alright?" Albus asked quietly, glancing around to make sure that no one else had noticed.

"I… I don't know," He said almost silently.

"Want to talk about it?" Albus felt like his heart was going to burst from sadness by the way Scorpius' face crumpled up and tears began to roll down his cheeks.

"No," He said, shaking his head vehemently, "I… I have to go. I have to get out of here. I'm sorry, Al. I need to be alone right now."

Without another word, he clambered to his feet and ran out of the Hall, leaving the letter discarded on the table. Albus watched him leave, as he wove his way seamlessly through the crowd and disappeared from sight. He considered the letter on the desk for a few seconds, wondering if reading it would be the right thing to do, before sighing and shoving it into his pocket. If he wanted to find out what was wrong, he would have to ask Scorpius himself.

For the rest of the day, Scorpius was nowhere to be seen. He didn't show up to any of his lessons, and Albus, who was his partner in most of them, found himself quite lonely. None of the teachers remarked on it, however, simply staring with tight eyes at the vacant spot, leading Albus to believe that there was something bigger happening. He still didn't dare open the letter, however, as much as curiosity burned at him.

Albus almost thought he was going to go crazy from all the frantic worrying and pacing back and forth he did throughout the day. He could barely manage his lunch, despite Rose's admonitions, and he hadn't bothered with dinner at all; instead, he had gone to visit the Room of Requirement, only to find it disturbingly void of any sign of Scorpius.

"Albus, please, he'll be alright," Rose said gently that evening in the Slytherin common room where they had all gathered. It was plain by the creases in her forehead and the way she was absently chewing her lip that she was just as worried about Scorpius, but unlike him she was trying not to let it show too much, "He probably just needs a bit of space. We don't know what upset him."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Albus grudgingly admitted, all too aware of the letter currently burning a hole in his pocket, "But if he's not back soon then… I don't know, perhaps I'd better use the Map."

"Come on, at least get that Herbology essay done. It's due in tomorrow, after all." Rose gestured to the seat opposite her, "I'll help, if you like."

The essay was probably terrible, despite all of Rose's help and hopefully not too obvious handiwork, but when Albus finished it a little while later, sometime after the grandfather clock in the room had chimed ten o'clock, he knew that Scorpius' time was up. Albus had to find him, and urgently.

"I'm going to find him," He said determinedly as he strode towards the staircase that would lead him to his dormitory, "You guys had better get back to your own common rooms."

"Let me know how it goes," Rose said with a small smile as Haruko urged her towards the doors, "I don't know how, just… Be careful."

"Why would I need to be careful?" Albus asked, but it was to empty air. Taking several deep breaths to steel his nerves, he hurried up to his dorm, grabbing the old, worn scrap of parchment from the bottom of his chest of draws, and lay on his bed, whispering the words that James had told him.

Despite his curiosity, he had managed to avoid using the map so far, due to all of the other things going on in his life, and he nearly leapt out of his skin when intricate whorls of ink began to appear on the page. He tore it open eagerly, hardly bothering to read the insignia on the front, scanning every inch of the castle for any sign of his friend.

He was there for nearly half an hour, desperately searching every inch of the castle. He was beginning to think that perhaps Scorpius had gone to the Room of Requirement after all when he spotted his best friend's name in the last place he expected him to be; the Astronomy tower. In seconds he was tearing back down the stairs, pushing carelessly past students and ignoring their cries of protest. He hadn't even bothered to close the map; if Marcus wished to peruse it, then he wasn't going to stop him.

Thanks to Rose and several of his other Prefect friends, he was well aware of their patrol routes, and made certain to avoid them at all costs as he sprinted through the corridors, his wand held aloft in front of him for light. Figures in paintings shouted their irritation after him, but he paid them no mind. He had other, far more important, things on his mind.

Albus paused at the bottom of the winding staircase that led up to the Astronomy Tower to catch his breath and ponder what exactly he would be faced with when he got up there. Extinguishing the light from his wand, he pulled the letter from his pocket and apprehensively began to make his way upwards.

He took the steps as slowly as he dared, conscious of making any noises that would alert Scorpius to his presence. When he reached the top of the stairs, panting only slightly from the steep incline, the door was open, and through it he could see Scorpius sitting with his legs dangling over the edge of the balcony, looking for all the world like he was about to jump.

Albus' breath caught in his throat, almost choking him; fear coursed through him, thick and terrifying, rendering him speechless, unable to move, unable to do anything but panic, panic, panic -

"Scorpius, stop!" He eventually managed to choke out, rather pathetically, before managing to will his legs forward and fling his arms around Scorpius' torso, pulling him down from the balcony until the two of them lay in a useless heap on the floor of the Astronomy Tower. Albus almost would have laughed at the situation, had he been able to expel air from his lungs.

"Albus, what are you -" Scorpius untangled his long limbs from Albus' grip and extracted himself from the heap, pulling himself to his feet and dusting his robes off, "What the hell was all that?"

"What the hell was all that?" Albus repeated, sitting up and staring down at himself before gesturing wildly towards the balcony, "What the hell was all  _that_?"

"What the hell did you think it was?" Scorpius asked, as he offered him a hand. It took Albus only a brief second glance to realise that Scorpius looked an absolute mess, all puffy, red eyes and messy hair and snotty nose, yet he still managed to be a sarcastic areshole. Albus almost could have punched him.

"I thought you were about to – I don't know – kill yourself or something!" Albus found himself yelling, throwing his arms up in frustration, "I mean, when your friend's been suspiciously absent all day after receiving a mysterious letter and then you find them sitting over a bloody balcony in the highest part of the tower, one kind of presumes these things!"

"Oh," Scorpius said, his eyes widening perceptibly, "I can see why it would look like that. And honestly, after everything, I'm admittedly rather surprised my mind didn't lead that way, but no. I wasn't even considering it. I promise."

"You're certain?" Albus demanded, crossing his arms and glaring up at him. "One hundred percent?"

"Yes!" Scorpius insisted, "I put a bloody shield up underneath it so if I did happen to fall, at least I wouldn't be totally fucked. I just… Wanted to know what it would feel like, I guess. To be that vulnerable, that… Close to the edge."

"You're a bloody fool, if you ask me." Albus muttered, before holding out the letter still in his hand, crumpled beyond all belief, "Here. I didn't read it."

Scorpius reached forward and snagged the letter from Albus' hand, before crumpling it even further into a ball and tossing it with full force over the side of the balcony, his eyes wild like a madman.

"Good riddance," He said, wiping his hands clean of any invisible traces of it. Then, he pulled his fist back, ready to slam it into the wall. Albus, who had been working as hard as he physically could on his wandless magic over the last few weeks, so hard he fell exhausted into bed every Thursday night, threw a silent barrier at Scorpius' fist, which came to an abrupt halt mere inches from the wall.

"Albus, for Merlin's sake," He said, punching uselessly at the shield for a couple of seconds before rolling his eyes and kicking at the wall instead.

"Stop it!" Albus screeched, ready to throw up another barrier if needs be, but thankfully Scorpius paused, turning to regard him curiously.

"Fine," He murmured, "That was stupid, I admit. I'm just so… Angry!"

"What are you angry about?" Albus wondered aloud, leaning back against the wall and feeling he could relax just a little now that Scorpius' tirade was apparently over.

"What aren't I angry about?" Scorpius grumbled, leaning against the balcony and gazing into the endless depths of the night sky, "I'm angry about… The things I've done, the things I haven't done, the things other people have done, the things other people haven't done."

"Why are you angry at yourself?" Albus asked, deciding to join Scorpius at the balcony. Through the clouds, he could just about make out the vague shape of the full moon, and he stared at it pensively, hoping it would clear his mind.

"What are you, my therapist?" Scorpius bit back, before sighing and cursing in a low voice, "Sorry. The sarcastic shithead within me can't contain himself sometimes."

"I'd noticed," Albus said wryly.

"And anyway… I don't want to talk about it." Scorpius focused intently on his hands, "Being here, in this room. It's difficult. I don't know."

"Uh… Right," Albus said, "I don't entirely understand. But… You're my best friend, and I want to understand. I'm with you 'till the end of the line."

"Did you really just quote Captain America at me? You're terrible." Scorpius shook his head, laughing softly, "And hey. Even best friends can have secrets."

"Yeah, but they shouldn't have to," Albus said, nudging Scorpius' shoulder slightly, "You know everything about me. Nobody else knows what a pretentious git I am or how much I like peanut butter cups or how terrified I am of the future. I've laid myself bare to you and yet you, Scorpius Malfoy, remain a closed book. It's bloody irritating."

"It's all part of the appeal," Scorpius responded, "You know, mysterious blonde guy? I think I pull it off pretty well."

"I'm not convinced," Albus said, chuckling at Scorpius' indignant expression, "One day you'll take something seriously. That'll be the day Hagrid retires."

"Hey, I took today very seriously indeed, if you must know," Scorpius replied, sighing, "It was shit. Total shit, and I don't even care that you know it, or that you saw me cry yet again. You must think I'm pathetic."

"Not at all,"

For a few moments, they fell into a comfortable silence, watching as the clouds shifted across the night sky, revealing the moon and the stars, twinkling into oblivion. For the first time, Albus began to feel the cold, and he shivered, pulling his cloak tighter around himself.

"You wanna talk about it?" He asked, still staring at some point in the distance, "About what was on the letter?"

"Not particularly..." Scorpius said taking a deep breath, "But… It is kind of important, I guess. Basically… Dad's been threatening since last month to take me out of school. He has it in his head that everything'll magically righten itself if I go to a Muggle school. Me and mum and Shacklebolt have been fighting against it but today he sent that letter, saying he'd be arriving at some point in the day to take me out of school, and I just couldn't deal with it.

"So I've been in hiding all day. Luckily no one ever comes up here except for Astronomy lessons, and they're not for another hour… Then I was going to move to the Room of Requirement. Okay, it wasn't a perfect plan, but… I'm still here, aren't I?" His voice became thick as tears began to well in his eyes. Albus pulled an old but clean tissue from his pocket and offered it to him. He accepted it while shaking his head.

"How did everything get so shit?" He asked, barking a laugh that was hardly convincing.

"Beats me," Albus replied with a shrug, "That explains a lot, though. Like why the teachers weren't surprised to see you gone… Or why Shacklebolt was nowhere to be seen all day."

"I guess I'm going to have to face it at some point, aren't I?" He asked nobody in particular, "But I'm not going to leave. Dad's stubborn as all hell, but he can't really force me to leave, can he?"

"I don't know," Albus admitted in a whisper, 'But I won't let him, and you won't let him, and eventually he'll have to accept that he's in the wrong and that's not how things are meant to be."

"You're right." Scorpius said, nodding, "In the morning, i'll have to face all this. I've been avoiding it long enough. But for now… Sleep sounds like a pretty good idea."

"Room of Requirement?" Albus asked, "Shouldn't be any prying eyes there. Although the corridors were suspiciously empty when I came here, almost as if Shacklebolt isn't trying particularly hard to look for you."

"Thank Merlin," Scorpius replied, scrubbing vigorously at his eyes one last time before tossing the tissue over the balcony, too, "Let's go."

As Albus turned to leave, he saw Scorpius pick up something from the very corner of the room, something his eyes had simply glazed over; his Invisibility Cloak. He had barely even noticed its absence from his desk drawer, his mind had been so preoccupied with other things.

"Sorry," Scorpius said, grinning sheepishly, "I really didn't want to risk being caught."

"It's fine," Albus said with pursed lips as he grabbed the Cloak from his friend's hands, "Just… Ask next time, perhaps?"

The walk down to the Room of Requirement was slow and arduous, as Albus had deemed it wise to use the Cloak, just in case. Unfortunately, the pair of them together were rather too large, and had to walk carefully and with extreme caution in case some random body part suddenly went on show. Once there, Albus paced up and down and imagined the typical little cottage room that was so familiar to him now, grinning as the door appeared in the wall.

"This place really does feel like home, you know?" He said as he went and flopped down on the sofa. Seconds later, Scorpius joined him, yawning widely in response, "And hey… If it's easier here, we can talk about… Things."

Scorpius pulled a face before turning the television on and flicking lazily through the channels, "Disgusting. Can't we just forget about things for a little while? Hey, we could see if any of the other Captain Americas are on, since you clearly love it so much."

"Fine," Albus agreed with a roll of the eyes, "But don't expect me to just leave this alone. You know my insatiable appetite for gossip, even if it is coming from you."

"Shove off, Albus," Scorpius said bitterly, "Some things are better left unsaid."

"I wholeheartedly disagree." Albus said, "What's the point in being best friends if we don't know everything about each other? It kind of defeats the whole purpose."

"Because," Scorpius said, getting to his feet, "Some people have secrets that would ruin friendships if they were found out."

Without another word, Scorpius stalked over to the other side of the room, conjured up a door, and stormed inside, slamming the door shut behind him.

Albus sat there for a little while, trying to comprehend what, exactly, had just happened. The canned laughter and cheesy jokes on the television felt loud and hollow, and after a few moments he switched it off, wanting nothing more than to follow Scorpius and find out what the hell that was all about but knowing that he would be less than welcome. He cursed himself for his blabbermouth and his inability to know when the things he said had gone too far, even if he didn't understand it himself.

With a sigh, he conjured up his own bedroom, knowing that a night of tossing and turning and wondering what the morning would hold lay ahead of him.


	32. Night Terror

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this is so late, i've had a major case of writer's block all week and it's been driving me crazy. this chapter is named after the song 'night terror' by laura marling. enjoy, and apologies again for the lateness. :)
> 
> i also posted a new scorbus fic called it's a war. you're under no obligation to read it, of course, but i'd appreciate it greatly!

"If they want him, oh, they're going to have to fight me"

The next morning, Albus awoke at the break of dawn, to the gentle sounds of birds twittering outside his window. He shot up, suddenly aware of the fact that he was in a strange bed in a peculiar room that seemed like something straight out of his imagination, with a cosy fireplace and shelves piled high with books lining every wall.

Then he remembered what had happened last night, and he groaned, lying back down.

Stretching and yawning, he extracted himself from the bedsheets, dressing quickly and almost ready to face whatever was on the other side of the door. Taking a few seconds to soak in the image of the room one last time, burning it into his memory, he patted the doorway sadly before going through.

Scorpius sat on the sofa, the remote control in his hand as he channel hopped. There were shadows under his eyes, as if he had barely slept a wink, and his school robes were rather dishevelled looking. Then again, considering what he would have to face today, Albus couldn't blame him for looking such a mess.

"Morning..." He said cautiously, lingering in the doorway for fear Scorpius would lash out at him and awkwardly brushing the hair out of his eyes. Instead, Scorpius gestured for him to go and sit next to him, which he did warily. There was awkward silence for a few moments, during which Albus tried to think up the appropriate words to say, but nothing came. He decided he would have to let Scorpius do the shouting, or the apologising; whatever the case may be.

"I'm sorry," He said at last, muting the television, "About last night. I was tired and stressed and I guess you were just… Easy to shout at. Which is of course total bullshit but yeah. I'm sorry, Al."

"Apology accepted," Albus said with a shrug, "If I was under even a bit of the stress you must be under right now I'd probably do the same. Just try to be less of a git in future."

"Fuck off," Scorpius said, laughing a slightly strained laugh as he turned back to the television, "And anyway. I'm not sure I could deal with you hating me."

"I don't think I could ever hate you," Albus mused, "We've been friends for too long now. At some point you just have to start accepting the bullshit."

"Wow. I wouldn't want to accept bullshit from anybody else. Best friendship summed up right there," With a sigh, Scorpius switched the television off and threw the remote onto the sofa, "Come on. I'm hungry, and there's nothing on."

Grinning, Albus let Scorpius pull him to his feet and the pair of them headed to breakfast, ready to face the day and the possible wrath of Scorpius' father. Whatever the situation, Albus was certain they would face it as they did everything else; together.

* * *

When they reached the Great Hall, it was only a matter of moments until Shacklebolt strode up to them and demanded that Scorpius come up to his office. Scorpius, who was halfway through a slice of toast, clearly fought to keep the scowl from his face as he got to his feet and stalked out of the Hall, pausing only to swipe up a second slice of toast as he went.

"Mr. Potter, perhaps you'd care to join?" Shacklebolt asked, "You might be able to help persuade Mr. Malfoy."

"Oh, of course," Albus said, suppressing a sigh. He had promised to tell Rose everything that had happened and she was currently bobbing impatiently in her seat, the irritation plain on her face. Luckily, or not, depending on which way you looked at it, they had the whole weekend ahead of them to talk about it. Albus only hoped that Scorpius would still be here to discuss it with them.

Once they reached Shacklebolt's office, which Albus found he had become far too familiar with over the past couple of months, he was surprised to see his father there, in a clear standoff with Scorpius' father, who looked as exhausted and disheveled as his son.

"Scorpius, at last!" Astoria exclaimed as the three of them entered the room. Unlike her husband, she looked perfectly made up. Her bump was just about visible through her dress. Scorpius went over and hugged her briefly, blanking his father completely. She smoothed down his hair gently before looking over at her husband expectedly, "Well, Draco?"

Draco stepped forwards, taking a deep breath. From in front of him, Harry crossed his arms and smiled smugly. Shacklebolt sat down at his desk and poured himself a glass of water, sipping at it as he watched the scene unfold before him.

"I admit that I've been foolish and stubborn lately," He began, wincing at the admission, "But it's become clear to me that you belong here, and to force you to go anywhere else would not be in your best interests, and would not make me the best father I can be. So, Scorpius, I hope you'll forgive your father for being an old fool."

"Of course I forgive you," Scorpius said, smiling slightly, "And hey, at least I know now where I inherited my own stubbornness from. And Dad, you don't need to worry about me. Or you, Mum. I'm safe here, safer than I would be out in the open where anyone could get to us."

"You're right, of course," Harry said, "Hogwarts truly is one of the safest places to be right now, what with all the wards and the extra Aurors we've called in, especially in Shacklebolt's capable hands."

Albus smiled at his dad before giving Scorpius a quick thumbs up, which was returned with a wink. The air felt like it had been cleared, and the tension that Albus hadn't even realised was growing heavy in the room was suddenly released. He realised just how scared he'd been on Scorpius' behalf, how afraid he had been that his best friend might actually be leaving. Now, he just felt a warming sense of relief.

If today was a day for anything, it was obvious that it was a day for forgiveness, and a sign that the future couldn't really be so dark if Albus had people like these in his life.

* * *

Albus' optimism didn't last long, unfortunately. He didn't know why he had expected anything else, really.

The next weekend, after a typically arduous week of lessons and streams of homework he was thankful to be rid of, Albus stumbled down to breakfast with Marcus and Stella in tow, his jaw creaking as he yawned widely and crossed the Entrance Hall.

"What's going on?" Stella asked as she tried to push her way through the crowd that was inexplicably gathering. Students were piled up around the noticeboard attached to one wall, all chattering eagerly and excitedly amongst themselves.

"Dunno," Albus said, suppressing a yawn, "Come on, let's get breakfast. I'm starving."

"You're always starving," Stella retorted, jabbing him in the stomach, "Surely you can wait a few minutes."

Albus glanced back at Marcus for support, but he simply shrugged and took Stella's hand, grinning far too smugly for Albus' liking. Bloody third wheeling. Relenting, he followed his two friends as they waited for the crowd to part. He couldn't help but observe that the majority of students around them were Gryffindors of every age. He supposed the notice must have been geared towards the Gryffindors, and wondered why Stella was bothering in the first place.

"Is this a fucking joke?" Someone shouted suddenly from the noticeboard. Through the sea of heads, Albus watched as a familiar mop of frizzy auburn hair pulled the mysterious notice off the board and held it up high for everybody to look at, "Do you see this? Do you really think this is funny?"

"Down with Slytherin!" Came a loud, commanding voice from the back of the crowd. Confused, Albus whipped his head around to try and see the heckler, but it was pointless; the crowd was too thick.

"Oh, how mature of you!" Rose retorted, shredding the sheet of parchment to pieces in her hands. Laughter started up around her as the notice reappeared immediately on the board, intact once more, "You're going to get caught, you know?"

"What are you going to do, go crying to your mummy?" The same voice shouted in a sneering voice. Rose blushed bright purple and tried to force her way back out of the crowd, pushing blindly past students who seemed intent on making her life difficult. Albus caught her hand and helped pull her out of the throng of people.

"What the hell's going on?" He asked once they were a little more secluded. Rose looked more angry than Albus had ever seen her before, her eyes brimming with tears and her bottom lip trembling. At her sides, she was clenching and unclenching her fists, looking ready for a fight.

"Some bloody idiot," She began, voice breaking. She coughed before continuing, "Some bloody idiot's only gone and started a petition for Slytherin to be removed from Hogwarts, citing all these completely ridiculous reasons, such as 'All Slytherins are big and ugly' and 'All the bad wizards came from there' and honestly, it's frightening the number of signatures it has."

"What the actual fuck." Was all Albus could say, unable even to phrase it as a question he was so dumbfounded.

"All the signatures are fake, of course, and no doubt some students have signed several times, but I can't believe it!" Rose took a few deep breaths, "I thought I knew my own House better than this, you know? It's obvious it was a Gryffindor, only they would be so brash."

"Oi, Potter!" Someone yelled over to the pair of them, "Go home!"

Albus saw red; he charged into the crowd, uncaring of who saw, uncaring that he had no idea who had just shouted at him, but certain that he had a pretty good idea who it was. Sean MacClaggan wasn't the brightest Gryffindor there ever was, but he was on the Quidditch team, and was never afraid to make his voice heard. Albus just knew it was him.

"Albus, stop!" Someone latched onto his arm and pulled him out of the crowd, where a circle had gathered in anticipation of a fight. It was Scorpius, his cheeks bright red with anger, "He's not worth it."

"That's right, Potter, go back to your boyfriend!" MacClaggan jeered, to several whoops and high fives from his friends, Terrence and Hasnain. Albus was positively seething; he wanted nothing more than to punch his lights out, to leave him bloody on the floor, but instead he shook his head and turned away.

"Don't think you're any better, Malfoy, you pathetic Death Eater coward!" Terrence called out. The crowd around him went silent, as if aware that they had overstepped the mark. Terrence, oblivious as always, continued on, unaware of the damage being truly caused, "It's obvious you belong in Slytherin, anyway, and Gryffindor doesn't want you! Go back to daddy!"

"Scorpius, mate -" Sean began, reaching out to stop Scorpius, who charged past regardless. Albus didn't even bother trying to stop him as he punched Terrence square in the face, sending him flying into a group of First Years, who squealed and ran away. He lay sprawled across the floor with Scorpius standing over him, ready to land the next blow.

In seconds, Sean was dragging Scorpius down to the floor with him, and the three of them were brawling like drunken men in a bar as students gathered in a circle around them, chanting 'Fight! Fight!" Albus wanted nothing more than to join in, but a stern look from Rose told him to stay back.

The fight was like nothing Albus had ever seen before; he had expected one of them to have pulled their wand out by now and have started a full-on duel, but fists were still flying, endless streams of punches still being thrown. Once or twice Albus thought he saw a flash of red, and it was then that he decided enough was enough.

He stepped forward, steadying himself, ready to separate the three boys, but at that second a voice ripped through the cheering and the shouting, halting everybody but the three boys fighting.

"Stop! Right now!" The crowd parted like the Red Sea as Professor Longbottom strode through to the centre of the circle, his whole face ablaze with anger, where Scorpius had gained the upper hand and was pummelling mercilessly at Sean's face while simultaneously keeping Terrence's punches away from himself. In a second, Professor Longbottom had pulled out his wand and separated the three of them, all panting and covered in blood like something out of the terrible murder mystery programmes Scorpius always made Albus watch.

"What in Merlin's beard is this all about?" He demanded, fixing the three students with an unwavering glare. Albus could see Terrence's Adam's apple bobbing in his throat as he gulped, while Sean looked like he had just seen the ghost of a dead relative. Scorpius just looked bored, but Albus could tell that it was just a façade.

"He started it," Sean began to protest, jabbing a finger in Scorpius' direction. Scorpius looked ready to leap at the other boy again, but Professor Longbottom's shield held him where he was, his nose dripping unceremoniously with blood.

"I don't care who started it," Longbottom said with a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose, "I am just disgusted – absolutely disgusted – that three students from my own Hose could think it even remotely acceptable to do such a thing, especially while we have students from Beauxbatons and Salem visiting. The only option I have is to take fifty points. From each of you."

"Professor, you can't!" Terrence crossed his arms and glared at Scorpius, who just shrugged as if accepting his fate.

"I don't want to hear it." Longbottom said, "Now get to the Hospital Wing, all three of you. I don't want to hear another word."

He released the three boys from their wards with a barely concealed sigh before tucking his wand back into his robes. Sean and Terrence skulked away, glaring darkly at the Herbology professor as they passed and muttering amongst themselves. Scorpius just stayed where he was, as if he was expecting something. Albus tried to get his attention, to catch his eye, but it was fruitless.

"Um, Sir," Rose began in a timid voice, quite unusual for her, "I thought you'd probably like to see this."

She guided him towards the unblemished piece of parchment hanging up on the noticeboard. It was notably absent of Gryffindors giggling mindlessly around it. He leaned in, squinting at the page, before frowning and ripping it off the wall.

"Thanks for telling me about this, Rose. I'll make sure Shacklebolt is informed," He nodded to her once, then let out a strangled noise of irritation as the parchment vanished from between his fingers and reappeared on the wall, "Perhaps Professor Flitwick will know a charm to remove it from the wall..."

Without further ado, Longbottom was gone, his robe flapping around him as he went. The excitement over, the students began to dissipate, into the Hall where they could get their breakfast. Albus, Rose, and Scorpius stood there, unsure what to do next.

"Come on, let's get you fixed up," Albus said, gesturing vaguely in the direction of the Hospital Wing.

"I'll be fine," Scorpius said indignantly, performing a quick cleaning spell on himself which removed most of the blood but did nothing for the rips and tears in his robe or the tears and grazes everywhere.

"For Merlin's sake," Rose mumbled, grabbing his arm and physically dragging him unwillingly out of the Entrance Hall as he complained loudly all the way, "We're going to see Madame Pomfrey. Now."

"But I'm hungry," Scorpius whined as Albus followed closely behind the pair of them, chuckling to himself.

It couldn't be denied that things were pretty shit, and someone needed to pay for starting that ridiculous petition, but at least his friends ensured that life at Hogwarts never became at all dull.

* * *

That evening at dinner, Shacklebolt addressed the Hall. The collective student body was immediately stunned into silence, as rumour of the petition and the fight had spread like wildfire through the corridors of Hogwarts.

Scorpius and the two other Gryffindor boys had spent most of the afternoon in Shacklebolt's office, no doubt being thoroughly shouted at, and had return tight-lipped and faintly ill looking. Scorpius would say no more other than that he was in detention for a month, but that it was worth it. Albus could hardly disagree with him on that.

"Good evening, everybody," He began after clearing his throat, "There are two things I wish to speak to you about, this evening – I'll try to make it concise as I know you're all eager to eat – first of all I would like to make it clear that fighting is not tolerated here at Hogwarts, for any reason. For the majority of you, that much should be second nature, but I feel a few of you might need reminding.

"Secondly, to whoever set up the petition in the Entrance Hall this morning, I ask that you, or all several of you if that may be the case, come and see me immediately. No, you will not be let off lightly, but should you attempt to keep your identity a secret for much longer, the punishment will be severe. We remain a tolerant school, especially in light of recent and past events, and it would serve you well to remember such.

"Thank you for listening, and let me just add one more thing: You are all here with one common goal; to learn, and to become better witches and wizards. Please, don't let yourselves be blinded by ignorance, intolerance, or a misguided belief in past mistakes. Now, enjoy your dinners."

The students, who had been gaping open-mouthed at Shacklebolt's speech, all eagerly tucked into their dinners. Albus was just shovelling food onto his plate when someone shoved roughly past him, harshly whispering 'Slytherin scum!' as they did so. He glanced around but couldn't see anybody.

It was a clear sign of just how bad things had gotten that the divisions between the Houses were being driven so deeply; Albus just hoped that he and his group would be able to counteract that in time. Hopefully before it was too late.

* * *

Later that evening, after long hours spent mindlessly writing essay after essay as Stella and Marcus flirted in front of him, Albus headed to bed, his head feeling like a cloud of mind-numbing fog had enveloped it. He had worked far later than he had intended to, and it was approaching one in the morning. He hadn't even realised how late the hour was until he glanced up from his work to discover the common room completely vacant around him, the only sounds that of the fire crackling merrily in the fireplace even as it burned down to its last embers.

His foot was on the first step that would lead him up to his dorm, and more importantly his bed, when he heard the door to the common room creak open behind him and the sound of cautious footsteps. Albus spun around, wondering who could possibly be coming in at this time, to find Scorpius standing there in his pyjamas, looking tired and weak and rather pathetic.

"Scor?" He asked, blinking a couple of times just to make sure that it wasn't a ghost standing before him, "What are you doing here at this time?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Scorpius said, with a smile that failed to meet his eyes, "I couldn't sleep, so I don't know, I thought I'd come here instead."

"You know you're always welcome," Albus replied, smiling even as he fought back a yawn, "I was just heading up to bed, actually, but if there's anything you want to get off your mind…"

Scorpius took several steps forward, his bare feet shuffling across the floor, before he sighed and flopped onto one of the many plush sofas dotted around the room. Fearing a long night, Albus flung his bag down on the staircase and went over to join him, carefully scrutinising his face, which looked raw with recently fallen tears.

"It was those three again, wasn't it?" He demanded, in no doubt at all.

"How did you know?" Scorpius asked, raising an eyebrow as he pulled his legs up and wrapped his arms around them. If Albus didn't know better, he would think that Scorpius was trying to lean away from him, but why would he be doing that?

"Best friend instinct," Albus said in what he hoped was a wise tone of voice. When it elicited a slight chuckle from his friend, he knew it had succeeded.

"Bullshit," Scorpius said, "But… You're right. Honestly, sharing a room with them is bloody awful. They didn't even try to put up a Muffliatus curse or anything. They were bragging about it – about being the ones to set up the petition – and Sean kept going on about the replacement charm and Terrence kept cackling like a demented goat and Hasnain just agreed with them on everything, as usual."

"Merlin, I hate them," Albus said, trying to even out his breathing which was becoming ragged at simply hearing what the three boys had been talking about. He could only imagine what being in the room itself must have been like. Scorpius himself didn't seem angry; instead, he just seemed tired, and resigned to having to share a room with those loathsome Gryffindors for nearly six whole years now.

"It's like they knew I wouldn't be able to do anything about it." Scorpius sighed and placed his chin on his knees, gazing vacantly into the fire, "They know that if I tell Shacklebolt, they'll have free reign to make my life a bloody misery, and pretty much nobody else in Gryffindor would do a thing to try and stop it. Rose would, and Astrid, and Lily's friends, but they'd make sure to do it so that no one else found out. God, I hate them!"

"Me too," Albus agreed, though his words weren't much help, "Come on, let's try and get some sleep. They're really not worth bothering over."

"Yeah, you're right," Scorpius said as he untangled his limbs and pulled himself wearily to his feet, "It's just, on top of everything else that's happening right now, it's kind of too much, you know? I mean, when I got back from the hospital, Sean actually said he wished I'd been in there longer, that I deserved it."

"Next time I see him..." Albus said, feeling anger bubble up, hot and thick, in his throat. He wouldn't let them treat Scorpius like this; they couldn't keep getting away with it – yet Scorpius was right. If they had any indication that Scorpius had shared his worries about them, they wouldn't hesitate to make his life a complete misery. Albus was rather surprised that Scorpius had confided in him, but then he probably realised that Albus was just as helpless as he was.

"No, Al, don't," Scorpius warned, "It's better that we just… Stick together. They're less likely to bother us if we're together,"

"Or poke fun at us and call us boyfriends," Albus reminded him with a laugh as he pulled himself up from the sofa and went to grab his bag.

"Oh, yeah..." Scorpius said stiffly, already heading up the stairs, "There's always that."

"Well," Albus considered as he jogged up after him, "Let them think what they want to think. They're a bunch of idiots, whatever."

"Yeah, I can't really deny that," Scorpius said, rolling his eyes as he waited outside the Sixth Year dorm for Albus to open the door. Even from out in the hallway Albus could hear the soft sounds of Marcus' snoring, and suppressed a sigh. His friend really ought to invest in a potion to help with that, or put a Muffliatus curse up around his bed each evening.

Albus barely had the energy to get changed into his pyjamas and brush his teeth, but he forced himself to do so despite dragging his feet the entire way. He fell asleep mere seconds after his head hit the pillow, as exhausted as he was, and neither Marcus' snoring nor Scorpius' shuffling about could distract him from his slumber.

* * *

It wasn't to last.

Albus shot up in bed so fast he feared he nearly gave himself whiplash at the ungodly sound that rang through the room, waking him immediately. Lethargically rubbing sleep from his eyes, he glanced over to his clock, where the time read exactly four o'clock in the morning. A strange alarm, whatever the sound was, as it subsided slightly into something more resembling sobbing.

With an indignant grunt of annoyance, Albus pushed the curtains surrounding his four-poster bed aside and got to his feet in the hopes of better identifying the sound. Blinking around at the pitch black darkness of the room, he came suddenly to his senses when he realised the sound had been coming from the bed that Scorpius had claimed as his own.

"Scorpius?" He asked, feeling rather stupid, like he was sending his question into an empty void. The sounds of crying subsided immediately, leaving only silence. Albus waited a couple of seconds before continuing, "Are you alright?"

More silence.

"Scor, I know you're in there."

Still, nothing.

Deciding enough was enough, Albus swept the curtains aside. It took his eyes a few seconds to adjust to the darkness, but what he saw was rather a pitiful sight. Scorpius, his face pressed into the pillow, desperately fighting back and quieting the sobs that were racking his entire body. His fists were balled up in the pillow next to his head, his knuckles white with the tension of it.

Albus almost felt his heart was going to explode from the sight of it. He could hardly bear the sight of anybody suffering, let alone that somebody being his best friend, the person for whom he was certain he cared for more than his own flesh and blood.

"Oh, Scorpius," Albus said under his breath. Wondering what exactly he was getting himself into, he sat himself down gently on the bed, as closely to Scorpius as he dared. When Scorpius didn't react in any way to his presence, he hesitantly reached out a hand and brushed his fingertips against his shoulder, a comforting gesture.

Scorpius flinched away from the touch as if burned, curling up into a ball and continuing to sob even harder. Albus found himself feeling ever so slightly jealous of Marcus, who was still snoring soundly in his own bed, blissfully unaware of everything that was happening. Immediately he felt bad; somebody had to be there for Scorpius, after all.

"You really think I'm just going to let you lie there and feel sorry for yourself?" Albus asked, half jokingly. Scorpius still didn't respond, and so Albus decided definitively that enough was enough; he reached forward once more, this time with both hands, and pulled him onto his lap, cradling his trembling form as one would a baby. "It's going to be okay, you know? It was just a nightmare, I'm sure."

They stayed like that for what could have been mere seconds or a whole eternity, as Albus rocked slowly back and forth. He could feel the wetness from Scorpius' tears leaking through the fabric of his pyjamas, but he found he didn't care as the sobs gradually began to subside into the occasional sniffle or hiccup. Wiping his nose on his sleeve with a pathetic whimper, Scorpius sat back up, cheeks bright red.

He looked a sight, his blonde hair stuck up in all directions and his eyes wild, frightened, as if he still hadn't quite woken up from the nightmare. He was devastating and beautiful all at once, raw around the edges. Albus felt like he was seeing his best friend for the very first time, through new eyes. He blinked twice and the illusion was gone. He was simply exhausted, his thoughts a runaway train on a sure path to disaster.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up." Scorpius said. The pair of them sat awkwardly together on the bed, all touching limbs and weary smiles. As if realising just how close they were, Scorpius shuffled a few inches back and put his head in his hands.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," Albus responded, fighting back a yawn, "I'm a light sleeper as it is, and I'd hate to think you were here all by yourself, alone. I dunno, I've never really had nightmares, but they sound terrible."

"You have no idea," Scorpius laughed, but it sounded fake, too loud against the backdrop of silence broken up only by the occasional snore. "This is totally pathetic but… Can you stay? I'm kind of scared to fall asleep again."

"As if I wouldn't," Albus patted Scorpius on the shoulder right before a massive yawn rendered him unable to do anything at all for several seconds, "And if you have any problems, need anything at all, just wake me up. I really don't mind, and it isn't pathetic."

Albus waited until Scorpius was lying back down before he joined him. As it turned out, sleep became rather difficult to come by, even after Scorpius had fallen asleep after only moments, his breathing deep and even. He lay there, eyes open, watching Scorpius' chest rise and fall, until he too fell into a deep and thankfully dreamless sleep.


	33. Beautiful

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> today's chapter is an interlude, hence why it's so short, and it's from scorpius' perspective. it's named after the song 'beautiful' by summer camp which is honestly just the perfect song for scorpius' current situation. enjoy!

"If there's ever the chance that we could be, I think I'd be torn apart"

Every time Scorpius thought he had seen every part of Albus there was to see, every time Scorpius thought he had stopped being surprised by Albus, he revealed a new part of himself, said or did something totally unexpected, and Scorpius found himself wondering how things had ever come to be like this in the first place.

Merlin's beard, he was so in love. It was pathetic.

That morning he lay in bed for a little while with Albus fast asleep next to him, his senses heightened by the awareness of their bodies touching in several places; Albus' hand placed loosely on his shoulder, one knee resting on his thigh, thinking as he so often did just how he managed to be so irrevocably, so devastatingly in love with this beautiful idiot.

Though Albus irritated him at times - he was human, after all – Scorpius found that there was no part of him that he didn't love absolutely and with every fibre of his being; from the sound of his voice first thing in the morning, thick with sleep and barely intelligible, to the way his eyes lit up when he talked about something he was passionate about or loved, like philosophy or food or his family. Even the way he drooled sometimes when he fell asleep.

It was when he had begun to find the drool adorable that he knew he was in far, far too deep.

He hated himself for it, loathed himself for every time he found his gaze lingering just a little too long on Albus' eyes, Albus' lips, for all the times he found himself wishing their touches had lingered just a little longer.

But Albus was a part of him, their fates undeniably intertwined with each other's, and that just made it hurt so much more; that they were so close, and yet they would forever be so far apart. Scorpius wasn't sure he knew how to love if it didn't contain some aspect of fear anymore.

When he had woken up after the attack, his body bruised and beaten and screaming at him with the pain and the effort of it all, he had seen Albus there by his side, and he had just known that everything was going to be okay. Because no matter how much being in love hurt, he had Albus by his side, and really that was all he needed.

At times he found himself frustrated, with himself more than anybody else. It often struck late at night when he was all alone, lying in his bed unable to sleep, thoughts racing through his mind at a million miles per hour. Once or twice he even found himself wishing that the two of them had never become friends; that his fourteen year old self had made the decision not to forgive Albus, that he hadn't let him into his heart.

And that was why it hurt so much, waking up in an unfamiliar bed with Albus at his side. Platonic; that was all it was ever going to be. It was enough. It had to be.

Sighing regretfully, he pulled himself to his feet, all too aware of the empty space at his side. He allowed himself a couple of seconds to watch Albus, the way his eyelashes fluttered and his hair formed a veritable bird's nest around his face like some strange kind of halo. He was beautiful, and so, so devastating.

Deciding that all he needed was to be dressed and refreshed, he slipped out of the room, back to his own dorm. He was not expecting to meet Rose in the Gryffindor common room, glaring at him with all the anger her seven in the morning self could muster up, quite a sight in her childish pyjamas and completely untamed mop of frizzy hair.

"And where have you been?" She said, setting her book to the side; her typical dry, heavy tome. Scorpius would usually have scoffed at her, but instead he just sighed a weary sigh, the sigh of a man twice his age, and settled into the seat next to hers.

"Where do you think?" He asked, deciding that being petulant was his only choice.

"Don't take that tone with me, Scorpius." She narrowed her eyes at him, "I know you better than you know yourself."

"God forbid," He said, wincing as she thwacked him on the arm, "Yes. I was in the Slytherin dorm."

"That's all I needed to know," Rose responded, smirking slightly. How Scorpius had ended up with two of the infamous Weasley-Potter clan as his two best friends in the entire world, he wasn't sure, but sometimes he found himself regretting the choices he had made long ago. Damn his Gryffindor sensibilities!

"Rose, please," He said, "At least promise me you won't tell Lily."

"Oh, she already knows." Rose responded, "You know she's a late sleeper, and she has a tendency to drift between common rooms. She saw you leave, and she's not stupid."

"Why can't my life ever just be simple?" He asked himself aloud as Rose chuckled.

"You made your bed, Malfoy. Now you have to lie in it." Rose looked disgustingly smug as she watched him with that lazy half-smile.

"Oh, it's too bloody early in the morning for this. And I'm a morning person. Generally."

There was a moment's silence, in which Scorpius almost began to believe Rose had fallen asleep, until -

"Just tell him," Rose opened one eye, her expression one of serious doubt and frustration. Damn her!

"No." Damn everything!

"Fine." She got to her feet, grabbed her book, and slammed her way out of the room, pausing only to glare at him for a couple of seconds from in front of the staircase, leaving Scorpius seething at what he could possibly have done to deserve this treatment. Okay, he knew exactly what he had done… But it wasn't like he had ever intended to fall in love with Albus Potter. Sometimes he forgot just how close the pair of them were, having been practically brought up together.

"Ignore her," Said a tinkling, feminine voice from behind him, startling him nearly out of his skin. He turned to see a familiar mop of long auburn hair and a bright, alert face peering at him over the top of the chair.

"Lily, how did you -" He began, then stopped. He didn't even want to know. Laughing, she flounced over and deposited herself in the seat that Rose had just vacated.

His friendship with Lily Potter was a strange, fragile thing. They hadn't known each other for long, and yet Lily was privy to his deepest, darkest secret, and she was unfailingly kind and firm all at once in her advice giving. Somehow, through it all, they had become good friends, even if he felt like he was simply becoming further tangled into the web of the Potter-Weasley family. Next thing he knew, he would be invited to their Christmas dinner, or end up tagging along on one of their family holidays.

"I have my methods, and none of them concern you, Scorpius Malfoy," She tapped the side of her nose once, twice, her expression unreadable but her eyes full of mischief.

"You're an odd one, Lily Potter," He said. And it was true; apart from being the star Quidditch player of her House and one of the most popular girls in the school, no doubt due to her embracing her last name in a way Albus never had, Lily was decidedly peculiar. Perhaps that, too, was a trait that ran in the family.

"You know you wouldn't want it any other way." Lily said with a smirk, "And hey, at least I don't spend all of my time gazing wistfully at a certain person, wishing on what I don't think could ever be. I went and did something about it, and I've never been happier."

"More perhaps unnecessary proof that you and I are very different people." Scorpius said, having to try very hard not to simply glare at her.

"Indeed," She agreed, "So. When, exactly, are you going to tell my brother you love him?"

"I – Lily! - You know I don't -" Scorpius spluttered, astounded by her straightforwardness.

"Ha! Got you good, there," She said, practically falling off her chair from laughter, "But seriously. Scorpius, it's getting ridiculous. What's the worst that could happen?"

"Burning, crushing humiliation and rejection. The loss of a friendship that's too precious to lose. So many things." He sighed and rubbed his temple, wondering why he had bothered getting up at all. He could still be with Albus, and perhaps he would be lying to Albus and himself the entire time, but he wouldn't be here, with Lily Potter fixing her fierce, brown-eyed gaze upon him.

"Scorpius, please," Lily said, rolling her eyes and huffing indignantly, "You're such a drama queen. The truth of the matter is, you have no idea what's going to happen. So you might as well try. I know my big brother is a thick-headed doofus, but even he can be made to see sense."

"And if he really doesn't like me back?" Scorpius said, resisting the urge to bite at his fingernails, a bad habit he had mostly manage to overcome.

"Then you'll keep breathing. You'll move on. You'll stay alive. You and Albus will probably stay friends. He really does value this friendship, he's told me so himself, even if he was never particularly eloquent about it." Lily grinned at him, "And Rose told me about Christmas Eve, of course. I'm no expert, but alcohol definitely plays a role in telling the truth, whatever that kiss may have meant."

"You really think so?" Scorpius asked, doubtful.

"Oh, yes. Certainly." Lily leant over to him, placing a hand on his, "My brother has a brain in there somewhere, I promise. And a heart. I only hope he learns how to use them both soon."

Scorpius smiled back, as best he could, "Things would be so much simpler if he just remembered the bloody kiss."

"Ah, that," Lily looked pensive, "How do you manage to mess up something so spectacularly?"

"Damned if I know," Scorpius responded, pulling his hand back and crossing his arms. She really did have a point there; things could have been so much simpler, and yet here he was, in even more of a mess than he had been in the first place.

"Well, I'm going to go get some sleep. See you around," Scorpius found himself sitting dumbstruck in an empty room after Lily had hugged him, kissed him on the cheek, and disappeared just as quickly as she had come. If she and Rose ever decided to team up and talk to him about how he felt, he figured he would probably be better off just ceasing to exist entirely, if only to avoid the ceaseless questions and the increased awareness that yes, he was an idiot for choosing to say nothing at all.

Maybe he would say something, one day, he mused once he had recovered from Lily's whirlwind visit and was alone in the common room. Maybe, by some miracle, he would be able to get over his fears, be able to forget everything that there was to lose, be able to express, finally, what he had been trying to find the words to say for so long now.

Maybe one day, but certainly not anytime soon.


	34. St. Patrick

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's past midnight and i can't sleep, the perfect time to update! this chapter is named after the song 'st. patrick' by pvris, one of my favourite songs ever (and it happens to coincide with st. patrick's day in the story... haha i totally didn't plan that...) 
> 
> enjoy! and please feel free to let me know what you thought :)

"You give me something to think about that's not the shit in my head"

Over the next few weeks, life became something of a blur. Everything was non-stop, and Albus barely felt like he had time to breathe, in between lessons where frantic teachers were trying to prepare them for the impending end of year exams, to frequent late nights spent in the Room of Requirement trying to teach the younger students defensive spells, to trying to find time to revise in the library.

If it weren't for Scorpius, Albus thought he would have lost his mind a very long time ago. He was always there when everything just sort of got too much; when the younger students would ask him questions about his father's role in the War that they didn't realise were incredibly intrusive, Scorpius would make certain to distract them with a cool new spell. When the whisperings of still resentful Gryffindors became too much, Scorpius was there, reminding him that they weren't all bad.

They certainly weren't all good, however; in the last few weeks, after the petition and the spectacular fight in the Entrance Hall that people still discussed at length in hushed, excited tones, the Gryffindors' opinion of Albus seemed to have changed completely. It was no doubt because of the stories in the papers, which continued relentlessly, but it was unnerving nevertheless.

There had always been a slight difference between the Gryffindors that James was friends with, who had been the perpetrators of lots of bullying and harassment over the years, including the time they gave him the green hair that he sometimes found himself missing, and the Gryffindors in his own year, who had always treated him with a grudging sort of respect, or so Scorpius always made it seem.

Now, however, it was nothing but open hostility from both fronts. He didn't dare to walk around the castle alone anymore unless he had the Marauder's Map in his hand and his Invisibility Cloak crammed into his rucksack. Thankfully, with the Map, they were far easier to avoid, but it still grated with him, and there was no feasible way he could avoid them altogether.

And so, for the time being he would just have to put up with the sly digs as they walked past him in the corridor on the way to lessons, the notes they slipped into his pocket, with words like 'traitor' or 'scum' or 'black sheep of the family', the subtle ways they tried to mess with him in lessons, such as by trying to slip things into his potion or nudging him just as he was about to perform a charm and throwing him completely off-kilter.

What hurt the most was that there was nothing he could do about it, due to pressure from all sides. Pressure from his parents not to draw attention to himself, which he almost certainly would if he decided to start on them in the corridor, pressure from his own friends to insist that there was nothing but harmony between the Houses, that such things only existed in the past, pressure from himself to carry on pretending that everything was absolutely fine, for Scorpius' sake.

With everything that was happening, Albus felt like he was on a crash course to certain disaster. Either he would burn himself out, or he would snap, or other people would cause him to snap. He wasn't looking forward to that day when it inevitably came.

* * *

But come it did, and sooner than even Albus could have anticipated.

It was St. Patrick's Day, and the Great Hall was bedecked all in green, as leprechauns in little green hats floated around the room with tiny pots of gold that they would give out to those they deemed worthy. The sun was shining, and there had been no new reports about the Pureblood Knights for over a week now. Watching that morning at breakfast as a leprechaun descended on Scorpius and insisted on giving him several pots of gold as Scorpius swatted him away, cheeks flushed, Albus' heart felt light, almost like it could detach itself from his chest and float away at any second.

By some great miracle, it was a weekend, and for mid March in Scotland it was almost approaching warm, so Albus and his friends headed outside, with umbrellas and warm coats on just in case, and spent what was almost an absolutely glorious day in the sunshine, if it weren't for the veritable piles of homework they had all received that week.

Despite all of that, it truly was bliss to be back outside again, and to enjoy being there, amongst the myriad of wildflowers that had begun to blossom along the fringe of the Forbidden Forest, with the best friends in the world who didn't mind helping with homework and were on good terms with the House Elves in the kitchen. Scorpius made him a flower crown from the flowers dotted across the meadow, and he wore it proudly as he scribbled down a rough draft of a Muggle Studies essay.

For the first time in a long time, Albus felt like he could just be, without having to be something in particular. It was with a regretful sigh that he helped pack up the excess food and trudged back up to the castle with the sun just beginning to set, giving everything an unearthly glow. He also felt a renewed sense that Hogwarts was his home, the place he belonged, here with Scorpius and all of his other friends.

"Look, guys, Potter's got a flower crown!" The irritating voice of Sean MacClaggan shattered Albus' mood immediately. They were just crossing the courtyard, where the three Gryffindor boys were lounging around on the chairs, tossing a ball between themselves.

"It's not even a very good one," Terrence snorted, after giving it barely more than a glance.

"Did he just insult my flower crown?" Scorpius asked from beside him, aghast. Sean pulled himself to his feet, swaggering over to the pair of them, who were alone after they had lingered behind their friends, preferring to admire the sunset than head straight inside. Albus was beginning to regret that decision.

"Did your boyfriend make it for you?" Sean sniggered, reaching up and pulling it roughly from his head before crumpling it up into a ball in his hands and throwing it onto the ground. Behind him, Hasnain hooted with laughter and fell off the bench while Terrence pumped his fist into the air.

"Piss off, MacClaggan," Albus spat, "Don't you have something better to do?"

"I don't know, Potter," He said with a shrug, "Baiting you is just so much fun. You make it so easy."

"No I don't!" Albus began, before realising that he that was exactly what he did. He paused, just enough time for Sean to land the next blow.

"Whatever." Sean said lazily, casually taking a step back, right onto the useless flower crown, "I suppose you have other things to do, too. Like being a traitor to your family. They must be so disappointed that you're in Slytherin. And your sister a Hufflepuff. Your dad must be devastated."

"No offence, but you know fuck all about my dad," Albus said, positively seething, wondering why he didn't just turn around, grab Scorpius, and go.

"Hiss hiss," Terrence very unhelpfully said from where he still lay on the bench, watching the scene unfold.

"I'm watching you, Potter," Sean said, prodding his finger into Albus' chest, "And you, Malfoy. Stay away from our dorm, yeah? I don't need to ask where you've been instead. Daddy would be so disappointed, his only son -"

Scorpius took an angry step forward, "Shut up, you don't know anything. You don't understand anything!"

"Come on, let's get out of here," Albus said, grabbing his arm and dragging him forcefully away from the scene. After a few seconds of adamant resistance, where a standoff between Scorpius and Sean had begun to develop, Albus managed to break his concentration long enough to pull him out of harm's way.

"Ugh, I can't even begin to sum up how much I detest them!" Scorpius angrily kicked a rock, which clattered noisily across the floor, "Who do they think they are? Telling me I can't even go back to my own bloody dorm? I should tell Dad about this, he ought to be able to get Shacklebolt to do something!"

"There's nothing we can do right now," Albus reminded him gently, letting him vent his frustrations on a litter bin outside the school. He was still brimming with anger himself, and he took deep breaths, trying to steady his thoughts, "Come on, let's get some dinner. there'll be a massive feast."

"Alright, you've got me," Scorpius said, leaving the bin alone at last and joining Albus, his fists still clenched at his sides, "I wonder if they'll let the older students have Guinness."

"For my own sake, I hope not," Albus said with a chuckle as they made their way into the Hall and separated to go and sit at their respective House tables. Albus slid in next to Marcus, who was complaining, as usual, about his workload. Albus rolled his eyes and joined in the conversation, glad for something light-hearted to take his mind off the confrontation he had nearly just found himself a part of.

The Hall was abuzz with noise and activity, although the leprechauns had all vanished, which was probably for the best, as by the end of breakfast they had taken to pelting the coins at whoever they pleased. The vibrant green decorations draped across every wall and surface of the room felt no less gaudy or ridiculous because of the lack of the leprechauns.

When the dinner, including many different potato dishes, materialised on the table, Albus tucked in eagerly, despite having eaten a lot during the picnic with his friends. Next to him, Marcus was feeding Stella, who was giggling, and he sighed, turning to Heather at his other side, who was picking unenthusiastically at her food.

"Not hungry?" He asked in what he hoped was a jovial, light-hearted tone of voice. She turned to look at him silently for a few seconds, her lips quirked up in a peculiar half-smile, before turning back to not eating her food. Heather always had been rather quiet, so he didn't think too much of it.

It was halfway through dessert, a wonderful apple pie, that Albus first heard it. It was a low thudding sound that seemed to be coming from a distance, and yet it appeared to shake the very ground beneath his feet. He wasn't the only one; everyone looked around themselves for the source of the noise, but it was nowhere to be found.

After a second or two, it stopped, and dinner resumed as usual, everyone discussing what they thought all that was all about. Stella thought it was Hagrid, up to his usual tricks. Marcus agreed, because he agreed with everything that Stella said now. Albus had no bloody clue.

Around five minutes later, when all of the plates had vanished from the tables and students were just beginning to get up to leave, the sound came again, and it was most definitely closer. Albus could have sworn he felt its reverberations deep in his chest. The ground shook like the earth beneath it had turned to sand that was being washed away by wave after wave.

Albus glanced warily at the teacher's table, where their heads were bent together in fervent discussion even as the ground continued to shake. Like before, it stopped almost as soon as it came, but it was obvious that something was happening, something nobody could yet begin to comprehend.

The students who had stood up to leave sat awkwardly back down in their places, wondering what exactly was going on. After the third time it happened, during which Albus felt himself suddenly gripped with an all-consuming terror he couldn't begin to understand as the sound pounded through his chest and nearly deafened him, Professor Zabini got to his feet and practically sprinted out of the Great Hall, his wand held out in front of him, Professor Longbottom hot on his heels.

From beside him, Stella had gone pale, watching her father leave. Albus could do nothing more than offer a sympathetic smile before the explosion came.

It happened faster than the blink of an eye; one second, Albus was smiling at Stella while a small part of him wondered what those bright lights could possibly be, and the next moment, he was on the floor, his ears ringing and his head pounding from the sudden impact. He heard screaming, though it sounded like it was coming from miles away. With great effort, he pulled himself up, trying to assess the damage.

Most students were on the floor, clutching at their heads or shaking the person next to them, but the Hall itself seemed as if it had sustained no damage at all. Albus shook his head, trying to clear it, to no avail. Everything was a blur; he felt like he was no longer a part of this. He was just an observer, watching the scene unfold as if through a television screen. It was strange, the things absolute, sheer terror could do to a person.

Scorpius. The word cut right through him, bringing him back to his senses. He was on his feet, fighting his way through the jumble of bodies, just to catch a glimpse of his friend, to ascertain that he was alright, but then he saw the cracks in the window, and his blood ran cold.

He thought he was beginning to understand. They were under attack. Hogwarts, beacon of safety and happiness and everything he held dear in the world, was under attack. He choked back a sob; this wasn't the time for weakness, for crying. This was a time for fighting back.

At the teachers' table, Shacklebolt and the other adults had their wands out and at the ready. Albus knew very little about wards, but he could recognise one when he saw it. In short order, the crack in the window had been repaired. That the explosion had been so big, yet left only that one small crack – Albus tried to let it reassure him.

"We're under attack! Oh Merlin, we're under attack!" A panicked voice cut through the silent confusion, rousing fear and panic all over again. Through the crowd of people all pushing about each other, trying to make sense of it all, Albus saw a familiar head of blonde hair, and strode towards it.

"Everyone, please, stay calm!" Shacklebolt's voice resounded through the room, "We don't yet know what is happening."

Another explosion rocked the room. Albus tumbled sideways, catching himself on the table. No new cracks appeared in the windows, and the wards remained completely intact, but people began screaming and crying anew.

"Please, keep calm." Shacklebolt pleaded, "You are safe here."

Albus didn't doubt the confidence in Shacklebolt's voice, nor did he want to. He so desperately wanted to believe that he and his friends and family would be safe, so desperately wanted to believe that his beloved school was untouchable.

"Go back to your seats," He continued, but it was to empty ears. Everyone wanted nothing more than to ensure that their friends were safe, that no one had been injured. Albus continued his exodus to the Gryffindor table, fighting his way past sobbing First Years being comforted by older students, past groups of friends just hugging each other tightly. It was a remarkable display of the harmony between the Houses that McGonagall had strived for after the war; it was just a shame that it was in such an awful, incomprehensible situation.

He was nearly there, could see Rose and Scorpius huddled together on one of the benches. Rose had clearly been crying; she was shaking all over, and her cheeks were wet, as Scorpius whispered into her ear. He glanced up, spotting Albus. It was then that all of the windows in the room shattered inwards.

Time seemed to slow to a mere trickle. Albus could hear the glass cracking, a great heaving sound, and could see deadly shards beginning to fall. The teachers were all distracted trying to keep the wards up around the castle itself, and Albus knew he had to do something before a lot of people got hurt.

In the last few weeks, he had come a long way in his control and maintenance of wandless magic, and so, allowing the gate in his mind to be flung open, he threw up his arms, producing a shield with all the power he could muster up, forming a sort of blanket in the shape of a dome around the students. It was the hardest thing he had ever done; he felt like all the air had just been sucked out of his lungs, and his mind was screaming at him to let the shield drop, to close the gate, but he couldn't, he wouldn't.

Time resumed as normal. Students shrieked, flinging their arms above their heads in expectation of falling glass that never came. Cautiously, they began to glance around, awestruck by the deadly shards of glass poised in the air only metres away from them. Albus strained to keep the shield up, knowing that if he failed, injury and perhaps even death would be on his head. He shut his eyes, tightly, focusing only on maintaining the shield.

He heard voices around him, felt bodies brushing past his, but he refused to let it break his concentration. At some point, the shield became lighter, a far easier burden to carry. He risked opening his eyes to find most of the school staring at him, dumbstruck. Even the teachers were watching him with their wands still held out in front of them; shouldn't they have been focusing on the wards?

"Albus, you can stop now," Came a familiar voice from in front of him, startling him from his concentration. He blinked, focusing his eyes, to see Scorpius in front of him, "The teachers have got it. It's alright."

"Everyone's going to be alright?" He asked, his voice cracking from the effort of speaking. Scorpius simply nodded, and Albus released the shield. The shards of glass stayed exactly where they had been, floating eerily in the air like a still from a film. Relief flooded through him as he closed his mental gate with relative ease and fell to the floor, feeling sobs begin to rise in his throat.

"It's over. The Aurors are chasing after whoever did it." Scorpius reassured him, kneeling in front of him and gently brushing Albus' fringe from out of his eyes, "We're going to be alright."

"How long was I there for?" He asked, once he realised that students were now milling about the room, no longer a pandemonium of fear and panic. A couple of people were still watching him curiously as he sat on the floor sobbing like a baby, but most knew better and averted their eyes. He watched in silent amazement as the teachers began to guide the dangerously glinting glass shards back into the windows, and in a matter of seconds, the room was intact once more.

"About five minutes," Scorpius said, "It took us all a while to realise what was happening, but once we did – what you did was amazing, Al. You're a real hero."

Albus blushed despite himself, muttering "I'm no hero."

"Mr. Malfoy is right, you know," Professor Longbottom said, sidling up to the pair of them. He looked down on Albus with his usual kindly, approving smile, and though it was clear he was still angry at Scorpius after the fight, he didn't let it interfere with his teaching or anything like that, "You showed real courage there. You would've been an asset to Gryffindor, you know."

"Now, now, Longbottom, let's not dwell on the past," Professor Zabini said with his trademark smirk. A purple bruise was already beginning to bloom on his forehead, and he rubbed at it absently as he continued, "I'm sure you'll agree Mr. Potter has made perfect progress despite being in Slytherin,"

"He'd be an asset to any House," Professor Longbottom conceded, helping Albus to his feet once he had wiped the tears away from his eyes, "Well done, Albus. Your dad would be proud of you."

"I can see the Daily Prophet headlines now..." Albus said with a roll of the eyes, "I bet Rita Skeeter can't wait to get her hands on this story."

"Let's forget about all that for now," Longbottom sighed. He looked tired, with deep shadows under his eyes and the shadow of stubble across his cheeks, "We should get you to the Hospital Wing."

"Why? I'm fine." Albus glanced down at himself; though he had hit his head quite hard after the first explosion, it didn't hurt much, and there were no visible signs of injury on him.

"Physically, yes. Mentally, you're no doubt exhausted after that display of magic," Zabini said, for once agreeing with Professor Longbottom. Albus nodded in resignation and began to head towards the doors, Scorpius on his heel. He was beginning to feel some of that exhaustion; it was quite an effort not to drag his feet across the floor, or simply lie down and fall asleep where he stood.

"Well done, Albus!"

"That was bloody awesome!"

"You saved our lives!"

People clamoured after him, crowding around with no regard to personal space, and he murmured a 'thanks' or 'no problem' to each of them despite how fake it all felt. He had never wanted to be a hero; he just couldn't stand seeing his friends or family suffer. It was in fact rather Slytherin of him, he considered, to try and protect what was his above everything else. It had simply made sense to save everybody rather than those closest to him.

All of the attention rapidly began to feel stifling as he struggled to push his way out of the Hall through the mass of bodies coming up to him, clapping him on the shoulder, forcing smiles out him when all that was left were tears. If he was exhausted before, it was nothing compared to how he felt now. At the same time, he felt completely on edge, like all of his nerves were frayed. With each word he felt something in him rising, like an itch under his skin.

"Doing the family proud!"

"You're really living up to your dad's legacy now, eh Potter?"

That was the last straw.

"Stop comparing me to him!" He snapped, unable to keep his feelings inside of him any longer. He wasn't like his father, he simply wasn't, and that was okay, and why did everyone seem so insistent that he was? How was he expected to be his own person when his father's legacy still clung to him at all times?

"Alright, sorry, I was just saying," The voice scoffed and the person to whom it belonged, a Fifth Year Ravenclaw Albus had never even spoken to before, skulked off back into the ever oppressive crowd. People seemed to back away a little, thankfully, but it wasn't enough. Albus felt he had to get out, now, or he would simply explode.

He felt panic rise in his throat at the thought of being in the room a single second longer, at the thought of all of the hands clasping his shoulder or his arm, at the thought of yet more comparisons to his father. His heart began inexplicably to speed up, so fast and so hard he was almost afraid it would burst out of his chest at any moment in a bid for freedom. The doors felt a million miles away, totally unreachable. He was completely trapped by the crowd still surrounding him.

"I need to get out of here," He whispered. The itching under his skin had become a burning sensation, spreading through his entire body; it was desperation - he had to get out. He had to get out right now.

"Come on," Came a warm, familiar voice from beside him. It was Scorpius, of course; with his best friend by his side, Albus almost felt he could breathe properly again. Scorpius fumbled about and took his hand before clearing a path through the crowd far more effectively than Albus ever could have done. Catching the scowl on his friend's face, Albus thought he would have cowered from him too.

In short order they were through the doors, and Albus inhaled deeply, feeling the cool, refreshing air flow back into his lungs. The Hall, with its swarms of people and the terrifying memories of explosions, had seemed too warm, too vast, too stifling. Suddenly it all came crashing down on him again, and he fell back onto his knees when it became clear that his legs could no longer support him.

"Hogwarts was just under attack," He said, horrified. He had to fight incredibly hard to keep the bile from rising in his throat. What had happened had felt so surreal that it was rather difficult to comprehend that it had happened at all.

"Yeah," Scorpius responded, sitting himself down carefully on the ground next to Albus, "I'm having a hard time believing it, even though I saw it with my own eyes."

"Hogwarts," He repeated, his voice shaking, "Under attack. What the fuck?"

"No one got hurt, though, not badly," Scorpius reminded him. It didn't help much, but it was good to hear that not everything had gone to complete and utter shit, "Thanks to you."

That last part was a whisper, almost silent. It seemed his friend was having just as much difficulty holding himself together as he was, if the wideness of his eyes or the way he fiddled at the sleeves of his robes were anything to go by. Students were beginning to spill out of the Hall, all of them turning to regard the pair with curious eyes, but the teachers hurried them along. A couple of students seemed still to be on the verge of tears, and it was clear that no one would be getting much sleep.

That overwhelming sense of exhaustion took over Albus once more, seeming to settle deep into his bones. He felt vulnerable, like he could be broken by the slightest breeze or wrong turn of phrase, and mostly all he wanted was to sleep, though he knew how difficult it would be to come by.

"Didn't I tell you to go to the Hospital Wing?" Professor Longbottom said when he spotted them sitting on the floor. He paused in his duty of guiding the Gryffindors to their dorm and hurried over to them, "You don't look well."

Albus had to stifle an unexpected laugh at that; he didn't feel well, either.

"Scorpius, will you take him?" Longbottom asked. Scorpius nodded immediately as he pulled himself to his feet.

"Of course," He said, proffering his hand to Albus once again. He took it gratefully. It was warm and soft and familiar all at once, and it kept him steady in more than just the physical sense as he clambered to his feet. Once up, the room swayed dangerously around him, and he felt on the verge of collapsing back onto the ground.

"As soon as possible, preferably," Longbottom said insistently, frowning at him. His face was quite hard to make out, as everything had begun to turn slightly fuzzy, like a picture taken out of focus.

Albus took a wobbly step forward, wishing both that he could apparate and that such a thing was possible inside the walls of Hogwarts. He would apparate straight to his bed, and even if he couldn't sleep, at least he wouldn't be making a fool of himself in front of most of the school.

With Scorpius' arm around his waist to help steady him, he made it to the Hospital Wing at last, albeit with a great amount of difficulty. He wasn't the only one; it was busier than Albus had ever seen it. When Madame Pomfrey spotted the pair of them lingering in the doorway as Scorpius searched for a bed or a chair to put him in, she shrieked and rushed over to them, taking Albus from him with surprising strength for a woman of her age and stature.

In no time at all she had cleared a bed for him, sending away a whiny Slytherin who had suffered mild concussion with nothing more than a tut and a disapproving look. Albus felt like a baby being coddled, and he didn't like it at all.

"Tell me what happened." She demanded, fussing about his person, checking his temperature and heart rate and frowning to herself. Scorpius quickly recounted the tale of the mental shield that Albus had created, and the sheer length of time that he had forced himself to maintain it for. Albus tried to let out a protest, that it hadn't been all that difficult really, but he didn't have the energy and his words came out as little more than a strangled cry.

"Now, Mr. Potter, drink this," She said, guiding a bubbling vial of a suspiciously vibrant green liquid to his lips. He was so exhausted he was nodding off where he sat, and he barely even noticed that the majority of the potion dribbled down his chin and onto his robes. In seconds, he was completely unconscious, and it was the most wonderful feeling in the world.

* * *

He awoke sometime the next morning to the sounds of voices by his bedside. Through his closed eyelids he could sense that it was daylight, and could feel the sun's warmth on his skin. He kept his eyes shut, hoping to drift back off into another long, dreamless sleep, but it wasn't to be.

"What are we going to do about all this?" A feminine voice said from not far away. In his dazed, barely conscious state, it took him a few seconds to recognise the voice of his own mother. He felt a hand stroke gently at his hair, and tried his best not to flinch or react in any way, making certain to keep his breathing slow and even.

"We'll do whatever we have to do," Came a second voice, more instantly recognisably as his father. He had almost forgotten that an overnight stay in the Hospital Wing often warranted a visit from one's parents. His dad's voice sounded worn, "What we always have done."

"But it shouldn't be like this. It shouldn't be happening again." Ginny's voice sounded frayed around the edges with a combination of fear and fatigue. "I always believed we were bringing our children up in a world so unlike our own and now I don't know what to believe."

"Nobody does," Harry said softly, "But sometimes we just have to face these things, which we've known ever since we reformed the Order. Not that it appears to have done much good..."

"There's still time," Ginny reminded him. Her voice was warm now, full of love for her husband, "It's early days yet."

Albus wanted to open his eyes, to alert them to his presence, but ath the same time he found himself rather intrigued by their conversation.

"And what about Albus?" Harry asked, as Albus tried not to make any sudden movements at the sound of his own name.

"What about him?" Ginny replied. Albus had to fight not to flinch as his mother began to softly stroke his hair, "What he did last night was… Incredible. So many people could've been hurt. I've never been prouder of him."

"Albus?" Harry seemed to ask, his tone light, "We know you're awake. You can stop pretending now."

Grudgingly, Albus opened one eye, to find both his parents watching him from his bedside, sharing smug looks of satisfaction. Sighing, he pulled himself up into a sitting position, "Morning."

"I wasn't lying, you know," Ginny said, "I'm so proud of you."

"Gross," He said, sticking out his tongue.

"Perhaps you're more like your father than you think," She added, nudging her husband in the arm. Harry just looked slightly abashed, a look Albus was fairly certain he had never seen on his father before.

"Gross," Harry responded with a sly wink in Albus' direction, "Oh, by the way, your friends are waiting outside. Shall I let them in?"

"Dad, please," Albus said with a roll of the eyes, "Is that even a question? Yes, please."

"Are you sure you're feeling up to it?" Ginny asked, her face all parental concern. She placed a hand across Albus' forehead, "You're quite warm."

"That's because it's warm in here!" Albus whined, "I feel fine, honestly. That potion Pomfrey gave me worked wonders."

"If you're sure..." Harry said, getting to his feet and heading towards the double doors. In seconds, Scorpius, Rose, and Stella were at his bedside, asking exactly the same questions that his parents had and ensuring that he really was alright.

"Where's Marcus?" He wondered, once their questions had ceased.

"I couldn't get him out of bed," Scorpius said with a shrug.

"The lazy oaf," Stella muttered.

"Well, whatever," Albus said with a wave of his hand, "I'm so glad to see you guys."

"You might be interested to hear you're front page of the news," Rose said, extracting the broadsheet from her bag and dropping it onto the bedcovers. Dominating the front page was a large photograph of the Great Hall and the headline ' **Potter saves the day – no, not that one!** '

"Ugh," Was all Albus had to say to that. His dad simply nodded, even as he took the paper from him.

"Is there any news, Mr. Potter? About the perpetrators?" Stella asked, biting her lip anxiously.

"Yeah, was anyone arrested? There was nothing about it in the Prophet."

"Unfortunately, by the time the Aurors managed to exit the castle, the perpetrators were gone," Harry sighed, absently touching the scar on his forehead. Stella's eyes widened when she saw it, "They left a note behind, though. It simply said 'Courtesy of the Pureblood Knights', the smug pricks."

"Harry, language!" Ginny admonished, "Though in this case there really are no better words to describe them."

"But you're alright, Al?" Scorpius asked quietly from his seat next to Albus' bedside. He looked tired, like he had barely slept a wink. Albus couldn't help wonder if that was because his best friend had been worrying about him. He knew he would have been unable to sleep himself, had the roles been reversed.

"I am, thank you, Scor," He said, smiling, "Much better now you're here – and everyone else, of course."

Scorpius blushed at that, causing Albus to laugh. Glancing back around, he couldn't help but notice his mum peering at Scorpius thoughtfully. Surely she was used to his presence by now?

"Most of all I'm just glad everyone's safe," He admitted, "I don't think I could have lived with myself, if I'd've panicked or done nothing."

"I think a great many people will be glad, too," Harry said, ruffling his hair. His friends giggled as he swatted his dad's hands away, "But most of all you should feel proud of yourself."

He did feel proud of himself, though it was difficult to admit. Most of all he was just afraid, even surrounded by his best friends and his parents, who truly were wonderful people. He realised just how much he would need to rely on them if he was to possibly get through the next few months, and to begin helping the Order for real once school was finished. Despite the fear and anxiety, he found he almost couldn't wait.


	35. Stressed Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> today's chapter is kind of mostly made up of loose ends and little moments leading up to the end of exam season, but i hope you enjoy it nonetheless. it's named after the song 'stressed out' by twenty pilots (overused and cliched, i know, but it's the only song that really fit :P)
> 
> also, random life update, if you care about that sort of thing: i got into the university of my dreams!! so i'm pretty happy right now even though life is going to get real hectic real soon (hopefully i'll still find plenty of time to write)

"Wish we could turn back time, to the good old days"

The ensuing months after the attack were, for various reasons, some of the hardest of Albus' life so far. First of all, the attacks by the Pureblood Knights continued, and at times it seemed that there was no end in sight. Albus and his group now met in the Room of Requirement as often as they were able to, and yet it still didn't feel enough. If the school ever came under attack, Albus was certain they wouldn't be so lucky again

Each morning he woke up afraid of what he would read in the Daily Prophet, and each day, throughout lessons and during countless revision sessions in the Library with Rose and Scorpius, he found himself thinking about how pointless it all seemed. He loved learning, and absorbing new knowledge, but not when there were other, more pressing, matters at hand.

Secondly, no one would let him forget what had happened on St. Patrick's Day, no matter what their opinion of his actions. He found himself being subject to snide remarks almost as often as he was congratulated. He completely failed to understand why people couldn't just let him be, but of course people had to project their ideas of his father or of his House onto him at any given opportunity.

Sean, Terrence, and Hasnain had taken to calling him 'Saint Potter' whenever they saw him in the Hall or in the corridor, and they were convinced that his actions were part of some ploy to convince the rest of the school that Slytherin weren't bad, that Albus had somehow known that the glass was going to shatter. It was bloody ridiculous, but Albus couldn't risk letting them know how much their words got to him, let alone get in another fight, as much as he wanted. He came close a couple of times.

One evening, about a week or so before the Sixth Year exams were due to start, Albus was taking one of his usual solitary nighttime strolls around the castle to help clear his head. He hadn't bothered taking the map with him, assuming that no one else would be stupid enough to be up so late so close to exams, but he was of course proved swiftly wrong.

"Look who it is!" A voice exclaimed. Albus cringed internally as he rounded the corner and surveyed the scene in front of him. Together with Emma and Samantha, two of the girls who had been a part of the group of Gryffindors who had once teased Albus incessantly, was Sean, Terrence and Hasnain. Of course.

"Ah, Saint Potter!" Sean said, smirking, "Come to grace us with his holy presence."

Everyone around him laughed and high-fived each other. Albus took a wary step back, assessing all of the possible exits. If they would even let him get that far away.

"How does it feel to be the hero for once in your life?" Samantha asked, flipping her ponytail. Albus resisted the almost overwhelming urge to roll his eyes.

"Oh, I'm not gonna lie, it feels pretty damned good," Albus responded, crossing his arms.

"Please," Sean snorted, "It's obviously just a dirty trick he has up his sleeve."

"Excuse me?" Albus asked. He could feel rage rising within him, desperate to be let loose and hex the Gryffindors before him into oblivion. Instead, he took a deep breath, and continued, "If it weren't for me, a lot of people could have been injured. Or worse. You should be thanking me, not accusing me of something completely unfounded."

"I don't believe it for a second," Terrence said. From next to him, Hasnain and Sean nodded. Emma simply smiled indulgently at him as Albus tried not to gag at the sight, "You've always been the dark horse of your family. Why would any of that change now?"

"I'm not the dark horse… What the hell is wrong with you guys?" Albus frowned.

"Are you sure?" Samantha asked, taking a step forwards, "Your brother, an Auror, your sister, a Quidditch star, and you… A Slytherin. It seems like you're the only sibling who lets your House define you."

"Maybe if any of you bothered to get to know me instead of making all of these ridiculous assumptions!" Albus threw his arms up in the air; he was getting close to just letting go, to letting his wandless magic do the talking, but he kept the gate in his mind firmly shut. As compensation for that, he tried as casually as possible to feel about in his pocket for his wand.

It was a bad move; in seconds he had five wands all pointed at him.

"Really?" He demanded, putting his arms up in front of him in a pathetic kind of surrender, "Are we really going to do this now? We have exams on Monday, do you really -"

"Shut up, Potter," Hasnain spat, not lowering his wand.

"It's funny, isn't it?" Emma said, smiling, "How he doesn't want to fight now loverboy isn't about."

"What?" Albus asked, wondering what the hell she was on about.

"Don't act like you don't know what we're on about." Sean said, taking a step forward, "You and Scorpius."

"What?" Albus said again, raising his eyebrow. He froze as he realised the implication of his words; they really thought -

"If Scorpius were here, you'd probably be hexing us right now." Sean said, "It just seems a little suspicious, is all."

"Is your masculinity really so fragile that you think two guys can't be best friends?" Albus asked, his mind still reeling in a way he wasn't sure he was entirely comfortable with, "Well. Whatever. I'm out of here."

With that, he turned on his heel and practically sprinted back to his dorm, though not without flipping them the bird before he hightailed it out of there. They had no idea what they were on about, of course. Somehow that didn't make him feel better at all.

* * *

"Hey, Albus!" Albus was shaken from his stupor of studying and revision in the Library by a familiar figure sliding into the seat opposite his. He glanced up, but Scorpius, who had been his study partner for the past few hours, was nowhere to be seen.

"Uh..." Albus froze at the sight of Angela in front of him, looking much the same as she always had. The same long, untameable brown hair, the same brown eyes, the same smile. Like she had never even broken his heart; no, broken wasn't strong enough a word.

Over the past few months, Albus found that he had gradually come to remember more and more of the argument. If he thought hard enough about it, he could just about remember running out of the Great Hall and heading towards the kitchens. He remembered it anew, with Angela sitting right there in front of him, and had to try and suppress the seething anger that was beginning to build up inside of him.

"What do you want?" He asked eventually, after Angela had broken their impromptu staring match. He was unable to hide the venom in his voice, but Angela didn't seem to notice it at all.

"I just came to apologise," She said, sounding genuinely sincere.

"Can't you see I'm busy?" Albus gestured to the desk around him, piled high with books, "Not all of us can rely on our popularity alone."

"Albus, please, just hear me out," She implored. Albus sighed and met her gaze once more, "What I said was wrong, and deceitful, and I feel so, so bad about it all. I've thought about it a lot since that night and honestly, I don't know what I was thinking. And… I know we can never go back to being what we were, but I really did value your friendship, and I would hate to lose it."

Albus cleared his throat, "Fine. I forgive you. It's clear it was just one mistake… As long as that's not how you truly do feel then I think I'd like to stay friends with you."

"Oh, of course!" Angela was positively beaming, "We did have some good times. I'm just sorry my big mouth got in the way."

"It's no problem," Albus replied awkwardly, "Well. See you around, I suppose. Good luck in your exams."

Thankfully taking it as her cue to leave, Angela rose to her feet, before suddenly and unexpectedly wrapping Albus up in a hug. As nice as it was, it still all felt rather awkward, and Albus was glad when she let go and disappeared behind a bookshelf, where Scorpius had just appeared, clutching a heavy stack of books.

"What did she want?" He asked, glaring at her retreating figure.

"To be friends," Albus said as Scorpius took the seat opposite Albus, "Oh, good, you got that Potions book I've been looking for."

"And?" Scorpius probed, flipping through the pages of an ancient looking tome on different types of seeds.

"And I said yes..."

"What? Why?"

"Because she apologised, and I'm a nice person."

Scorpius simply rolled his eyes, "Come on, we have our first exam tomorrow. I can live without any more drama between you guys."

"You're not the only one," Albus said, getting stuck into his studying. Merlin, he really couldn't wait until these exams were over. He wasn't sure how much more he could take of having to focus on such inconsequential things as Charms or Potions when there were real, serious problems still happening out there in the world. He had never felt so useless.

* * *

In the end, the Sixth Year exams were without a doubt the most difficult exams Albus had ever taken. The gap between O. and N.E. had never been more apparent than when he had turned over the paper in his first exam, Charms, to realise he barely understand a thing written on the page, and that was still relatively easy compared to the practical!

He hoped he had redeemed himself somewhat by demonstrating his wandless magic and how far it had developed, but the way Flitwick had tutted at his aguamenti charm had been rather telling. Then again, the water wasn't supposed to be green…

By the time it was over, Albus was ready to sleep for an entire week straight. He didn't think he had ever drunk so much coffee or been so sleep deprived in his life, and the effects of it were beginning to take a toll. By the time his last exam rolled around, after two almost solid weeks of testing, he felt like he had been put through a blender, a device which he only knew about as it had been on his Muggle Studies exam. As if he would ever have need of a blender!

"At least it's over," Rose said as she, Albus and Scorpius sat outside in the sun by the Forbidden Forest. Somehow, summer had arrived without anybody noticing, and it was a welcome respite from the hellish hours spent hurriedly scratching quills on paper or revising in the Library or Common Room at all hours of the day.

"And the sun is shining!" Albus sighed and lay down, letting himself soak up the sun. He had even taken his robe off, for possibly the first time that year. The breeze was refreshing and ever so slightly cool, bringing with it the musky scents of wildflowers, "It's a miracle. Although, actually, if you used Hume's definition of -"

"No philosophy," Rose said, glaring at him from where she lay in the sun, a book lying unopened on the grass next to her, "No anything."

"I think exams have broken you," Scorpius mused, poking his friend in the shoulder. When that elicited no reaction, he tried again. Instead of her usual angry outburst, Rose simply rolled over, groaning.

"Stop." She whispered, "I'm going to sleep now."

"When do you want us to wake you up?" Albus asked, suppressing a laugh at Rose's expression. It was the one he usually found her pulling when she was six hours into a major study session, one of deep, pensive thought.

"Never." She responded eventually, arranging her robes underneath her head to form a pillow before shutting her eyes with a definite decidedness.

"This is usually the part where I'd say 'this summer is going to be amazing'," Scorpius said, pulling his sleeves up and leaning back with a sigh, "But I fear it would be rather premature."

"Less big words," Rose grumbled from beside him.

"Then we'll have to try and make it amazing." Albus said, "We still have a few months left at school, remember?"

"The teachers are simply too kind for scheduling the Sixth Year exams first," Scorpius rolled his eyes.

"We have two months left," Albus reminded him, "Anything could happen in that time. The Aurors might be able to defeat the Pureblood Knights by then, you never know."

"Wishful thinking? How unlike you," Scorpius' gaze drifted towards the lake, where the breeze was rippling gently across the still water. Lurking just under the water, however, Albus could just about make out one of the squid's tentacles, ready to strike at any moment.

"Wishful thinking is about all that's keeping me sane right now," Albus admitted, watching Scorpius silently as he frowned, his gaze still on the water.

"I wish I could be just a little more optimistic about all this," Scorpius spoke slowly, as if considering his words with the utmost care, "But… What with the baby due any day now, and – I got another letter from Dad this morning."

Albus sat up immediately, trying to ignore the way the world span around him. Merlin, he really did need a decent night's sleep, "And? What did he say?"

"He…" Scorpius glanced around, ensuring that they were totally alone. They were, of course; the other students were very rarely as willing to come down to the Forbidden Forest as Albus and his friends were. As sunny and warm as the weather may have been, most students still had exams, and so there were relatively few people to be seen outside at all.

Shaking his head, he continued, "He thinks he's being watched – that the house, I mean, is being watched. Says there have been people outside most days and nights recently, suspicious people in dark cloaks."

"And he thinks it's the Pureblood Knights?" Albus leaned forward, ignoring the sudden twinge of anxiety in his stomach.

"With good reason," Scorpius said. Albus nodded grimly as he continued, "It's just… Why us? Why now? How did they possibly find us? Mum and Dad stayed away from this world for exactly this reason. They thought they were safe, and now..."

"And now?"

"I think they're going to go stay at your parents'..." Scorpius said, still gazing listlessly out at the waters, which were becoming choppy as the wind began to pick up.

"At Grimmauld Place?" Albus could hardly believe his ears.

"Is that going to be a problem, do you think?" Scorpius asked, biting his lip. He looked tense, his knuckles stretched right over bone as he clenched his fists at his sides. Albus wished he could reassure him, wished he could make him smile again, wished he could make him see that perhaps, just perhaps, they would get through this, together, as they always did.

"I shouldn't think so, it's so old and massive, we have loads of spare rooms," Albus smiled at the thought of his childhood home. He had seen photographs of it from when his parents first moved in, and he was forever grateful that they had spent so much time renovating it before he and his siblings had been born. Far from the dank, dreary house it had once been, it was now most definitely a home.

"Wow. Our house is tiny, it's this little two bedroom terrace..." Scorpius trailed off, his expression filled suddenly with a sadness and longing that Albus recognised all too well, "I guess it might not be my home anymore."

"Don't say that!" Albus shuffled across the grass so that he was next to him "Even if you're not there for a little while, it'll still be home. And hey, you might be coming to live with me! Surely that'll more than make up for it."

"You ass," Scorpius said, smirking slightly. Albus glanced back over at Rose, who didn't quite shut her eyes quickly enough. He smiled and shook his head.

"You know, if I've got you guys, I think I can get through anything. We all can." Albus said, as droplets of rain began to fall, forming beautiful patterns across the surface of the Lake.

"Gross!" Rose protested, no longer trying to keep up the pretence of being asleep. She got to her feet, yawning widely, before coming to join Albus and Scorpius by the lakeside. Her hair was a frizzy mess that brushed against Albus' cheek as she leaned in, "But true. We're in this together, right?"

"Always," Albus said, smiling. Scorpius nodded from beside him, still watching the Lake with wary eyes.

The three of them sat by the Lake even as rain began to fall in fat raindrops that soaked to the skin in mere seconds. It felt to Albus that this was about as good as things were going to get for the foreseeable future.

"Come on, we'd better head back," Scorpius said at last. He was quite a sight, with his blonde hair plastered to his head, almost blending in seamlessly with his pallid complexion. He got to his feet, sending water flying in all directions, and offered Albus his hand, which he took gratefully, aware that if he got up too quickly, he would probably fall right back onto the rain-soaked ground.

"That's the most sensible thing you've said in months," Rose said, pulling her robe up so it was above her head. Her hair was almost flat, too, and it took every ounce of politeness in Albus' body not to poke fun at her, "I see you, Albus. One word about the hair and you're dead meat."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Albus said nonchalantly as they ambled back to the Castle. Rose smiled gratefully and elected to put her robe on properly. The damage had already been done, after all.

"Well, Rose, you have been a little flat lately, I've noticed," Scorpius laughed.

"I hate you, Scorpius Malfoy. I hate you a lot," Rose grumbled.

"The feeling is, of course, mutual, Rose Weasley." Scorpius said smugly. Albus rolled his eyes.

"Can't we all just learn to get along?" He said, draping an arm across each of their shoulders.

"Ugh, disgusting," Rose said, trying to wriggle her way out of Albus' grip. When she realised she couldn't, she opted for simply jabbing him, hard, in the stomach, and running away through the pouring rain, laughing gleefully. Letting his other arm drop, Albus raced after her, ignoring the way the sodden ground threw bits of mud up onto his trousers and the way the rain pelted every inch of him.

When he at last caught up to her, his cousin had pulled her wand on him, but mercifully she was giggling too hard to cast any sort of spell or hex on him. In seconds, Scorpius had caught up to the pair of them, and with a nod to Albus, they both tried to tackle her. She was faster than she looked, however, and managed to dodge them, as unable as she still was to use her wand.

"Go on, then!" She shouted between short gasps of breathless laughter, "Come and get me, boys!"

Rising to the challenge, Albus feinted left, while Scorpius went right, and in seconds all three of them were piled on the floor, a sodden, shivering, giggling pile. Albus could have stayed there forever, despite the distinct cold he felt leaking into his clothes. His sides had begun to ache and he was in pain all over from where Rose had begun to poke him with her wand, but his spirit felt elated. Where he would be, who he would be, without Rose, and without Scorpius, he simply didn't know.

"My book!" Rose screeched suddenly, scrambling to her feet. Surveying the grounds of Hogwarts, which had become rather grey and dull with the constant, driving sheets of rain, she let out a pathetic whine and stomped her foot, "Merlin be damned!"

Sighing at his cousin, Albus untangled himself from Scorpius with the utmost caution and pulled himself to his feet beside her, "I'll get it."

"Really? Oh, Al, it's probably ruined by now, you needn't -"

"Race you!" Scorpius called, already beginning to jog down the hill.

"We'll work something out," Albus grinned mischievously in Rose's direction as he sprinted after Scorpius, making sure to let his best friend know that he was a dirty cheat.

"No chance," Albus muttered as he spotted the book in the distance, lying dejected on the soaked grass. He made a beeline towards it just as Scorpius overtook him once more. As one, they leapt at the book, but it was well and truly too late. The book simply fell apart in their hands, a soggy mush of paper that was beyond all chance of repair.

"I'm never racing you again," Albus wheezed. His lungs were screaming at him as he sucked in great big gulps of air. At the same time, he had never felt more alive than he did just then, with the rain beating ceaselessly down around him as Scorpius tried and failed to wipe the rain from his eyes.

"Ditto," Was all Scorpius could say to that. His cheeks were flushed bright red from the effort of running, but there was a mischievous sparkle in his eyes that Albus was glad to see again.

"See?" Albus said, gesturing about himself, "Life's not all that bad, is it?"

"You're right," Scorpius admitted rather grudgingly, once he could speak properly again, "It's just a shame that the bad moments seem to massively outweigh the moments like these."

"I'd say the moments like these mean more than the bad moments," Albus mused as he pulled the hair from his eyes and mouth at long last, "So it's important to hold on to them, so that when the bad moments come, you can think on times like this and remember what this living thing's all about."

"That this is a high point in my life so far says a lot about me, doesn't it?" Scorpius asked, shaking the rain from his hair, as fruitless as it may have been. He seemed to be positively crackling with electricity and adrenaline, balancing on his tiptoes as he let the rain wash over him. Albus' heart felt distinctly lighter at the sight of him so happy and so free of all cares. His stomach flipped, but not in an entirely unpleasant way, kind of like butterflies. He shook his head, continuing to let the rain wash over him.

"You mean you didn't already realise you were a complete loser?" Albus teased. Scorpius turned on him, a menacing expression across his face.

"Of course, I just don't like to be reminded." Scorpius lunged for him, but Albus knew him too well. He ducked, before running off in the direction of the castle. Seconds later, Scorpius had overtaken him again.

"Not again!" Albus meant to grab his shoulder, to push him down and overtake him, but somehow in all of the pandemonium he had managed to grab hold of Scorpius' hand, and the pair of them ran back up the hill to Hogwarts together, hand in hand, to where Rose was waiting in the courtyard, drying herself off with hot air from her wand. Her eyebrow quirked upwards at the sight of the two of them hand in hand, so Albus let his hand drop, almost reluctantly, surprisingly relieved to be under shelter.

"My book?" Rose asked, as she turned her wand onto her hair. In seconds, it was beginning to fluff up back into its usual untameable style.

"A lost cause," Scorpius said, sounding genuinely sad.

"Oh, what am I going to do with you two?" Rose sighed, but the look in her eyes was tender, compassionate, "Now come on, you'd better dry off before you catch your death of cold.'

"Okay, mum!" Albus said. He was trying to dry himself using only the 'power of his mind,' as Zabini liked to call it, without much success, until Rose jabbed him in the side with his own wand. Frowning at her, he took it, and set to drying himself quickly.

"Someone has to be the mum friend around here," Rose said proudly, "And Merlin knows what you two would do without me."

"I dread to even imagine," Scorpius said, from the outer corner of the courtyard where he had been drying himself off. His hair was sticking up in all directions, and it was possibly the funniest thing Albus had ever seen. He wished he had a camera, just to capture the sight. Catching his gaze, Scorpius stuck his tongue out and hurriedly flattened down his hair.

"Did no one consider that to get into the school, we would have to go back into the rain?" Albus asked, watching the rain as it continued to fall as hard as it ever had. From the sheepish expressions on his friends' faces, no, they had not considered it.

"We can wait until it dies down," Scorpius suggested, settling down into a bench to watch the beautiful vista of the rolling hills surrounding Hogwarts, which further out gave way to mountains which were mostly obscured by the fog.

"It's not like we have exams to worry about," Rose said, sitting down in between them with a heavy sigh, "And it really is beautiful… In a miserable, dreary way. It's perfect for you, Al."

"Shut up," He responded, "I'm not miserable or dreary."

Rose and Scorpius shared a look. Albus simply sat back, admiring the view, and the newfound freedom he felt. He could almost have flown, he felt so happy, so at peace with the world.

* * *

"Good evening, everybody," Albus suppressed a sigh and settled into his seat, ready for another speech from Headmaster Shacklebolt about inclusivity and inter-house harmony. He ran a hand through his still slightly damp hair and tried to ignore the rumbling in his stomach as Shacklebolt continued.

"It gives me great pleasure to announce that Hogwarts will this year be hosting a masquerade ball, which is something of a tradition at Salem Academy. All years will be welcome, and we hope to make it the grandest event Hogwarts has seen in quite some time… Excepting the Yule Ball, of course." He grinned as students began talking excitedly amongst themselves.

"It will be held on the 31st of May, the last day of exams. That should give you plenty of times to get your masks and outfits sorted. As our exchange students will be leaving the week after, I believe this will serve as a worthy send off. I hope to see you all there," Shacklebolt was still smiling as he nodded and headed back to the teacher's table, where he struck up an animated conversation with Professor Cohen, the Headmaster of Salem.

Albus was stunned; he certainly hadn't expected an announcement like that. In his mind, he was already wondering how he could pull off wearing the same robes as he had worn to the Yule Ball and what sort of mask he would like to wear. The thought of all the potential laughter and dancing and forgetting about everything that was happening made him smile wistfully.

Stella and Rose were deep in conversation about who they thought was going to ask who, and who they thought should ask who. Albus found it amusing; Rose hated the word 'love' when it applied to her in any sense, but the second it came to matchmaking or snooping on somebody else's love life, she was there in an instant. It was as if she could sniff out gossip from a mile away, and luckily she had Stella, who was always willing to give it.

"Got your eye on anybody?" Albus asked Scorpius, more for conversation than anything else, as he picked absently at his food. Scorpius simply gave him a withering look in response, "Really? Not thinking of asking Mairi?"

"Albus, please, I'm trying to eat," Scorpius said through a mouthful of mashed potato, "Do you really need to bring her up right now?"

"Sorry..." Albus paused, thinking, "Hey, I have a great idea!"

"You? A great idea?" Scorpius looked at him warily.

"Oh come on, I've had at least… Two great ideas." Albus rolled his eyes as Scorpius grinned at him.

"So? What is this idea?" Scorpius probed, obviously trying his hardest to look disinterested.

"Well, I think we should go to the masquerade ball thing together." Albus said, pausing for dramatic effect. It made sense; it wasn't as if either of them were looking for dates, and he would probably have a much better time with Scorpius than with some other person, constantly wondering when they were going to flip out on him as Angela had.

"What?" Scorpius spluttered, almost slamming his flask of pumpkin juice on the table.

"Alright, it's not that bad an idea… I mean as friends, of course, and I don't know. It made more sense in my head." Albus blushed involuntarily, wondering if perhaps he shouldn't have spoken at all, "If you have someone else in mind..."

"No, of course not..." Scorpius picked his flask back up and took a slow, cautiously sip, avoiding Albus' gaze, "I think that is a great idea."

"Told you!" Albus positively beamed, "Man, it's going to be awesome… No pressure, no constantly worrying if you're going to freak out on me… Though maybe you will, I never know with you."

"Rude," Scorpius said, but it was clear that he was fighting to keep the smile from his own face.

"Me? Never," Albus punched him in the arm, "But seriously. Thanks. It's not too late to back out though, you know… If someone else catches your eye."

"There's no one else," Scorpius said, blushing suddenly and clearing his throat.

"Excellent," Albus said, tucking back into his dinner. He felt a strange kind of pang in his chest at the idea of Scorpius attending the masquerade ball with anyone else, then sighed at his own stupidity. Like he had any say in the matter. Still, the feeling wouldn't go away, not even when Marcus asked Stella and they began kissing at the table, much to everyone else's disgust.


	36. Fear and Loathing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is a little late. i'm sorry i've been super ill lately and i nearly didn't post it but i feel better today so here you go! (as such i apologise for any mistakes but i literally did not have the energy to edit it properly oops)  
> today's chapter is named after the song 'fear and loathing' by marina & the diamonds and i sincerely hope that you enjoy it and i would love to hear your thoughts :)

"There is no crime in being kind; not everyone is out to screw you over"

The morning of the Third Task of the Triwizard Tournament dawned bright and early. It was a surprisingly sunny day, even for the middle of May, and Albus tried not to complain too much as Scorpius dragged him out of bed and filled him up with coffee ready for the trek down to where they had been told to wait the previous evening.

As early in the morning as it was, it was still rather cold. Albus watched his breath mist up in front of him as he and his friends waited outside the entrance to the castle, along with the rest of the castle. Most of them were yawning just as widely as Albus as they waited for Shacklebolt or one of the judges to arrive to tell them what was going to happen. There were no stands anywhere that Albus could see; as far as he could tell, nothing had been set up at all.

"Good morning, students!" Shacklebolt said brightly, striding up to them from the great double doors of the castle. He was flanked on either side by the two heads of the other schools. The champions, as well as Michael Corner and Amelia Fittleworth, were nowhere to be seen, which alarmed Albus a little. He could just tell that this Task was going to be completely unlike the others.

"You're probably wondering what all of this is about," Shacklebolt continued, his wand pressed against his neck to make his voice louder. It boomed across the grounds, resounding in Albus' ears, "Well. The Third Task is going to be a race from Hogwarts to Hogsmeade. Sounds simple enough, right?"

"A race?" He asked to no one in particular. It did indeed sound far too simple.

"There will, of course, be obstacles. But I'm certain it's nothing our Champions can't overcome. A path has been clearly marked out leading down to Hogsmeade with glowing green arrows on the ground. I would advise that once the race has started, you stay behind them."

Albus felt fear course through him. He hadn't been back to Hogsmeade since – since what had happened there. He glanced back at Scorpius, who looked just as terrified. What little colour he had in his face had been completely drained away.

"I'm not so sure about this..." Scorpius bravely admitted as students began heading towards the winding path that would lead to Hogsmeade. No one else seemed the slightest bit bothered about returning to the little wizarding village; then again, no one else had been through what Scorpius had been through, or had suffered through the same terror that Albus had suffered.

Stella approached the pair of them then, smiling softly, hand in hand with Marcus. Her expression was tight, determined somehow. Gathered a few feet away were the rest of their friends, watching the scene with curious eyes.

"We're all heading down there – if you want, we can tell you what happens?" Stella smiled at the pair of them, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

Albus could have kissed her he was so grateful, but he coughed awkwardly instead, and settled for a slight nod of the head.

"Thank you," He replied, trying to force as much meaning and significance into those two words as he possibly could, "I think we're just going to wait a little way down the road."

"See you guys later," Stella said, letting Marcus' hand drop and hugging them each for a couple of seconds, "It probably won't be that great, anyway, if the last two tasks were anything to go by."

"Bloody health and safety," Marcus muttered, eliciting a smattering of laughter from the assembled party. With one last wave goodbye, their friends sauntered off down the pathway. Rose glanced back briefly and gave them an encouraging thumbs up.

With that, it was just the two of them, standing by the entrance to Hogwarts with Shacklebolt and the judges.

"Shall we?" Albus asked. Scorpius nodded, looking faintly ill as he had for most of the morning, as they set off at a slow pace, following behind their friends. They walked in silence until they reached the very perimeter of Hogwarts, marked by a pair of Aurors guarding the way. A few other students were dotted here and there, those who didn't really care much about the tournament or were too lazy to go any further.

"We might be here for a while, shall we just sit down?" Albus headed over to a grassy knoll that didn't look like it was too uncomfortable and took a seat, hoping that Scorpius had brought his usual array of sweets and treats with him. Scorpius sat next to him with a thud, still unusually silent. Above them, clouds were beginning to gather in the sky, but thankfully they seemed too small and insubstantial to hold any real promise of rain.

"Are you alright?" Albus asked, once he had rearranged himself into a more comfortable position. Scorpius said nothing, just shrugged.

"Alright, you, what's up?"

"Nothing," He mumbled. Albus gave him a pointed look but he said no more, his face all scrunched up as if he was trying to stop himself from crying. Pathetically, it was an expression that Albus knew well, as he had pulled it many a time himself.

"Scorpius."

"Fine, everything." He said, narrowing his eyes at Albus.

"Everything is up?" Albus sighed, "Well, that clears it all up."

"Mum had the baby. A few days ago." He said after a few moments of silence. Albus let out a breath he didn't realise he had been holding, the gravity of the news seeming to push all of the remaining air out of his lungs.

"Damn," He replied, "And… Is the baby alright? Is your mum?"

"Yeah, they're both doing great, apparently. At least there's some good news," Scorpius said, shuffling through his bag and pulling out a much needed box of Bertie Bott's, "Dad owled me this morning. She's called Cassiopeia."

"That's a lovely name," Albus said, smiling at Scorpius' slightly wistful expression.

"And yet they named me Scorpius," He chuckled and put a slightly suspicious green jelly bean in his mouth, "Ooh. Kiwi. Don't look at me like that. But I'm still worried, because Dad said that when they got back from the hospital, those suspicious people in robes were loitering outside, and they definitely saw the baby."

"Oh." Albus could say no more; his chest felt tight with worry for a family he didn't really know. If Scorpius was hurting, though, then he was too.

"Yeah. It's pretty shit. I think they could be moving into yours any day now." He frowned as he passed Albus the box of sweets. Albus took one blindly, though he wasn't really in the mood. He could still barely wrap his head around the thought that Scorpius' parents would be coming to live with his parents. The world truly was a screwed up place.

"It's still so weird, to even think – oh, no, disgusting. Egg." Albus grimaced and downed the water that Scorpius handed him, whilst clearly trying to disguise his own laughter. "As I was saying… It's so weird to think we're gonna be living together."

"As cool as you may think it sounds," Scorpius said, screwing the lid back onto the water and shoving it roughly back into his bag, "I really hope none of this goes on for long, that my parents can go home safely soon. Much as I love Hogwarts, and I'm sure I'll love your house, there's really nothing quite like your own home."

"Oh, come on, surely I'm not that bad a housemate,' Albus teased. Scorpius froze where he was sat to fix Albus with a well-deserved glare.

"Perhaps if you didn't leave your socks everywhere, I might be looking forward to it a little more," Scorpius responded as Albus shoved him in the arm, grumbling all the while, "Hey, I think the race has started."

Sure enough, the green arrows that were dotted haphazardly along the pathway began to glow ominously. In the distance, Albus heard what sounded like a gun being fired, and then cheering. He had never heard a gun being fired in real life, of course, but he had seen it in various movies and TV programmes and the way the sound seemed to strike him right through the heart was eerily similar.

"Here they come!" Scorpius grabbed his arm almost unconsciously as, only a moment or two later, the three champions came racing around the corner. Already they were red-cheeked and sweaty, and fighting each other to be in first position. As they jogged down the path beside Albus and Scorpius, a hole suddenly opened up in the ground, seeming to swallow up all of the light around it.

Samantha and Olivia managed to dodge the unexpected sinkhole on nimble feet, but Laurent unwittingly got his foot caught in it as he leapt over the hole, which was metres wide, and it began to close up. Albus found himself taking Scorpius' hand as Laurent tugged at his ankle, to no avail. He was completely stuck in the now dry, solid ground.

Olivia came to an abrupt halt, and glanced back. Samantha continued on, oblivious, and disappeared from sight altogether as Olivia hurried back, pulling her wand from her pocket and using a quick charm to remove Laurent's foot from where it had been buried under the earth. He smiled at her gratefully as they continued along the path at the same pace. He was limping rather badly, but Olivia stayed resolutely by his side as they disappeared around the corner.

"Well, that's enough excitement for me for today." Scorpius said, shaking his arm free from where Albus had had it in an iron grasp. He had hardly dared to breathe the entire time the Champions had been nearby, and he sucked in a breath, trying hard to regain his composure.

"Really?" Albus asked nonchalantly, raising an eyebrow, "I thought it could do with more excitement. A dragon or two, perhaps."

"Shut up, you were just as freaked out as I was," Scorpius rolled his eyes and pulled his knees up so that they were tucked up under his chin. He watched Albus for a few seconds, a thoughtful expression on his face, before he continued, "Hey, maybe you should've been one of the monsters, you're certainly scary enough first thing in the morning."

"You're one to talk," Albus scoffed, resisting the urge to shove his best friend right off the little mount where they were sat. It would certainly serve the smarmy git right.

As the morning passed them by, and the sun began to rise in the sky, the clouds cleared, revealing a warm and pleasant morning. Albus knew he should probably have been in the Library, catching up on the Seventh Year work that they had just begun to learn in class, but after the strenuous weeks of exam preparation and the horrors of the exams themselves, he could hardly make himself care, so he lay with Scorpius in the sun, thinking about how wonderful things would be if they were like this all the time.

He hadn't realised he was practically on the verge of falling asleep until Scorpius jabbed him in the side, jolting him immediately back to the waking world. In his defence, the grassy knoll had been far more comfortable than it had at first appeared.

"What?" He grumbled, sitting up with a great deal of effort.

"People are heading back," Scorpius observed wryly, as people began to stream past in droves. Rose, who was strolling past with the rest of their group, waved them over, "Oh yeah, I promised Rose I'd help her with some homework. Fancy joining us?"

"As if..." Albus groaned, then relented, "Ugh. Fine. But promise you'll help me."

"Of course I'll help you," Scorpius said, jumping to his feet with ease. He grinned at Albus as he helped pull him to his feet.

"Thank you, I really appreciate - Wait, you had your fingers crossed!" Albus suppressed a sigh as Scorpius winked at him before jogging over to join the group, a spring in his step that irritated Albus to no end. Still trying his best not to let out a sigh, Albus trawled after the group, in no hurry to join up with Scorpius again.

He was a few metres behind Heather, who glanced back at him briefly while deep in conversation with Rae, when something golden and glinting in the sunlight suddenly fell from her robe pocket, tumbling onto the floor. Albus paused and bent down to pick it up; it was a Galleon, the one Albus was fairly certain that Rose had given to every member of their group.

"Hey, Heather, you dropped -" The second Albus' fingers closed around the golden coin, he felt an unfamiliar tugging sensation behind his navel, like a hook grappling onto him, and then he was ripped away from reality altogether.

His head spun like nothing he had ever felt before and he was almost certain that he was going to vomit as he was thrown unceremoniously back to earth, where he landed with a loud thump onto a thick stone floor. What the hell had just happened?

Albus took a few seconds to try and gather his thoughts and to try and understand the situation at hand. He was in a small, dimly lit room, like something in the deeper recesses of the Hogwarts' dungeons, with no windows and only one heavy looking wooden door. The one sconce that lit the room flickered and sputtered, throwing shadows up onto the wall that Albus at first thought was some mystery attacker. He was alone, however, and terrified. He could hardly begin to fathom quite how terrified he was.

His heart was pounding out a steady rhythm in his chest, far too loudly and quickly. He took several deep breaths, trying to slow it down, but to no avail. His hands were shaking and his legs felt like jelly as he tried the door, though he had little hope left. The door was locked, and even a whispered 'Alohamora' did nothing to change that. Whatever magic was holding the door shut was more complex than anything Albus had ever encountered before.

"Shit," He muttered, his voice unsteady even in just that one syllable. Desperately, he pounded at the door, venting out some of his frustrations. From the other side of the door he heard the unmistakable sounds of scuffled footsteps, and took several steps backwards until his back was pressed against the wall.

His mind was working at a million miles per hour, but his thoughts were like smoke, drifting away before he could fully process them. When the footsteps subsided, Albus let out a relieved sigh, and set about exploring the little room.

It was tiny; he could cross it in just three steps. The whole thing was made of old, worn stone, like in an old castle or something he had seen in a few Muggle films. The sconce in the wall was beginning to flicker out, so with all of his concentration, Albus relit it. The room felt just a little less frightening when it was brightly lit, though the cobwebs crisscrossing the ceiling did little to ease his nerves.

"Albus Potter," Came a strong, commanding voice. A panel in the door was slid across, revealing nothing more than a pair of eyes, which scrutinised him as he pressed his back against the wall once more, his heart in his throat, "We meet at last."

"Who the hell are you?" Albus demanded. His voice came out as barely more than a whisper, and it broke in several places.

The mysterious man chuckled, "All in good time, boy."

"Why the hell am I here?" Albus asked, once he was certain his voice was a little more steady.

"Oh, you don't need to worry about all of that," The man said. Albus glared at the slit in the door, his arms crossed protectively across his chest.

"How did I get here?"

"You need to learn which of your friends you can really trust. A portkey, slipped into an unsuspecting pocket..." The man sounded smug. Albus resisted the urge to lash out, to place a well-aimed hex through the door.

"Are you with the Pureblood Knights?"

"You do ask a lot of questions, don't you?" The man laughed once more, dry and devoid of all humour. Albus hated him already, with a ferocity that burned deep in his chest. It was similar to what he had felt at seeing his father unconscious in a hospital bed, at seeing his best friend sprawled out across the snow. Hatred, pure and strong and unfathomable, "But yes. I am."

"What do you want with me, then?" He took a step forward even as his mind screamed at him to stop, to remain where he was, as far away from the door as possible, "You've already hurt my father, my best friend. I figured it was only a matter of time until you got to me. So, what do you want?"

"I want nothing more than to prove a point." The man said, "I have no intention of hurting you. Not yet, anyway."

"Then why bother?" Albus asked, frowning.

The man paused, as if considering, "It sends quite a message, don't you think? Harry Potter can't even keep his youngest son safe. I wonder what will be made of it."

"You're not going to succeed, you know?" Albus said, his voice level, "You're going to fail. You're going to get caught. My father won't let you get away with this."

"This was never about winning, don't you see?" The man asked. When Albus didn't respond, the gap in the door was closed once more. Albus wasn't quite sure how to feel; relieved, that the man was no longer there? The sound of his voice had made his skin crawl. Or should he have felt angry that none of his questions had been adequately answered?

Taking another step forward, he banged on the door as hard as he could, ignoring the way his grazed knuckles began to sting, "Come and face me, then! Don't be a coward!"

Silence.

Frustrated, Albus gave the door a great kick, but it barely even shuddered. For a little while, he paced back and forth, trying to reign in the anger he felt spilling out of him at all times. Occasionally he would break up his pacing by punching relentlessly at the wall or giving the door another couple of kicks. His knuckles were cracked, bruised, and bleeding, but the anger he felt had dissipated somewhat.

After a while, aware that there was absolutely nothing he could do, and that any attempts to escape would be utterly fruitless, he sat down on the hard, uncomfortable ground, all too aware of the growing hunger in his stomach. He thought back to how different things had been only several hours previously; he had been sat on the grass, watching the clouds go by with his best friend at his side.

He wondered what would be happening at Hogwarts. Would anybody even have noticed that he had vanished? Had anybody seen him disappear? Or had they thought nothing of it? He wouldn't be surprised; he was prone to doing a disappearing act at times and hiding out in the Room of Requirement. But he had never before disappeared in thin air. Surely someone had to have seen it, had to have considered it suspicious.

Albus put his head in his hands, trying to think of something, anything, to help ease his mind. He thought of how amazing it would feel to see Scorpius again, to hug him and tell him everything that had happened. Now that they had been victims of the Pureblood Knights, they could share some of their fears and anxieties, despite their markedly different experiences. He felt a little better, a little comforted, but it didn't last.

Sighing, he huddled closer to the corner, wrapping his robes around himself. Wherever he was, it was cold. Using his reserves of wandless magic, he warmed himself up slightly, and pulled his robe off, arranging it underneath him so that at least he wouldn't be too uncomfortable.

He had no way of knowing how much time had passed; he had a wristwatch, a seventeenth birthday present from his parents, but he was always forgetting to put it on in the morning. He had never regretted it more. He could have been there for hours, or mere minutes. If the growling in his stomach, coupled with that dull, empty ache, was anything to go by, however, he had been there for quite some time.

"Let me out!" Albus shrieked after a while, venting out the anger and frustration that had been building up inside of him since he had sat down. He punched the wall once more for good luck, and then leapt to his feet as a voice resonated through the room.

"All you had to do was ask." The voice sounded faintly amused as the hidden panel in the door slid open and a golden Galleon fell through, landing at Albus' feet.

"How do I know I can trust this?" Albus asked warily, kicking it gently.

"As I said, I never wanted to hurt you. I only wanted to prove my point. And don't worry, your friends and family have all been informed. Perhaps next time you won't be so lucky."

"I'll get you, you know, you sadistic bastard!" Albus shouted, but it was to nobody but himself and the distant sounds of what could have been chuckling. Sighing, he bent down to pick up the penny, ready to hurl it at the door if nothing happened.

In seconds, he found himself hurtling back onto the ground, though it was softer this time, shaking his head to clear away the sensation of nausea that was beginning to overwhelm him. He pushed his hair from eyes and found himself confronted with almost impenetrable darkness. Overhead, stars shone brightly through the silhouettes of trees reaching high up into the night sky.

"Where the hell am I?" Albus muttered, leaning against a tree stump for support as another wave of nausea washed over him. Pulling his wand from his pocket, he whispered 'Lumos!' and set forth into the darkness and the unknown, wishing he had a clue where he was. Each twig cracking underfoot or scuffled noise in the distance sent a bolt of fear right through him, but he refused to let himself be scared.

He was certain that if he kept walking, he would find safety, or comfort, or shelter, so he kept on even as he tripped over exposed roots and tore his robes on unseen brambles. At one point, he began to cry, out of sheer frustration at the situation he found himself in, and he didn't even bother to wipe away the tears since there was no one to see him.

Albus was beginning to give up all hope of ever making it to safety before he fell asleep exhausted where he stood, when he passed a wooden fence. It was the first manmade thing he had seen, and as he held his wand aloft, he realised that he recognised the little wooden pen from his Care of Magical Creatures lessons from the previous year when they had learned about unicorns. It was deserted now, but it meant that he was in the Forbidden Forest, and not too far from the fringe; if only he could remember the way out.

Sudden fear pierced through him; he had been in the Forest this entire time? He took a deep breath, trying to get a bearing of his surroundings and a firm grasp of his fear. If he had been in the Forest for so long already, and had not yet encountered anything dangerous or nefarious, he reasoned, then he would most likely make it out without a problem. It certainly helped to explain all of the strange and sinister noises he had heard.

He was fairly certain that the castle lay due north, so he headed in that direction, picking his way carefully across the thick undergrowth. After a while he extinguished the light of his wand, not wanting to draw any unnecessary attention to himself, and continued on as cautiously as he could, hardly daring to breathe.

After a little while, the trees began to thin. Albus almost could have burst into a fresh set of tears he was so relieved. He was thinking wistfully of a long, hot shower, and his bed, and the friends that would be waiting for him when he was almost blinded by a solid beam of light.

"There's something in the forest!" A deep voice shouted. In seconds, other bright beams of light joined the first. Albus squinted, but he couldn't see a thing, "Step out slowly, carefully, with your hands up!"

Albus stumbled forwards blindly towards the voice. He kept his wand clasped tightly at his side, unwilling to give it up in case he found himself in danger once again.

"What are you doing here?" Another voice demanded, shrill and harsh, completely unforgiving, "I'm not afraid to disarm you if you don't reveal yourself."

Confused, Albus took another step forwards, certain that he was now out of the fringe of trees ringing the entrance to the Forest. As his eyes adjusted, he realised that he was surrounded by twenty or so figures in dark robes, who were slowly closing around him. Aurors, at last! He was beginning to lower his wand, when -

"Expelliarmus!" His wand flew out of his grasp and into the hand of the waiting Auror, "Stupif-"

"Wait!" The first voice called, throwing an arm out to stop the woman at his side, "Isn't that Potter's boy?"

"Albus?" At the sound of a familiar voice, Albus simply collapsed to the ground, unable to hold himself together any longer. In seconds he found himself being enveloped in a hug by his Uncle Ron, and many of the bright lights that had so blinded him began to twinkle out, "Merlin, you don't know how glad I am to see you."

Albus couldn't speak, he just sobbed into his uncle's robes as he was pulled to his feet.

"Come on, let's get you inside," Ron said soothingly, pulling his cloak off and wrapping it around Albus' shoulders, keeping him steady on his feet all the while, "I'll send a Patronus, let your parents know you're safe. They've been worrying themselves sick."

The journey through the grounds of Hogwarts was nothing but a blur, as Aurors talked eagerly amongst themselves while forming some sort of shield around Albus and his uncle. Once in the castle, it was just the two of them. Albus had so much he wanted to say, but it was all he could do to keep moving forwards.

Albus allowed himself to be led mindlessly through corridors and up staircases until he and his uncle reached Shacklebolt's office, where he found himself immediately bombarded with hugs and kisses and questions that he couldn't – or wouldn't – answer.

"It's so good to see you," Ginny said, smoothing down his hair and fussing at him with shaking hands. Albus felt disconnected, like he was watching the scene in third person like a scene in a movie, some unseen observer, "I was so worried."

"What time is it?" He asked in a quiet voice. It felt like a safe question, one that was far enough removed from what he had experienced that day.

"It's, uh, a little past one in the morning," His father said, glancing at his watch, "Ron, you'd better head back, tell everyone that Albus is safe. I'd hate to keep them up waiting for news."

Ron nodded and strode from the room. Albus just felt queasy; the word safe had no real meaning to him anymore. He had assumed he would be safe within the confines of his own school and he had now been proved wrong three times.

"Albus," His father began, taking hold of one hand, "I know this is hard, but you need to tell us what the hell happened to you. You look a state."

Albus glanced down at himself. His father was right; his robes were ripped and torn, and he had no doubt been bleeding in several places at various times, but that was mostly due to his own clumsiness and lack of awareness in the Forbidden Forest at nighttime.

"I..." He paused, frowning, "Nothing really happened. That's the weirdest part about all of this."

"Nothing?" Ginny laughed, though it sounded forced, "Look at you!"

"That was just because they decided to dump me in the middle of the Forbidden Forest," Albus shrugged, feeling fatigue begin to weigh at him, "I spent the whole time in a locked room by myself. For the most part it was just… Boring. And frustrating."

"What?" Harry got to his feet, striding over to Shacklebolt's desk. The Headmaster himself must have been in bed, or tending to some other business, "But the letter..."

"What letter?" Albus asked. Harry grabbed a scrap of paper from Shacklebolt's desk and handed it to Albus, his lips pursed. It was short, only a couple of lines long, and written in a crude, barely legible font.

**We have your son.**

**You are not safe. Nobody is safe.**

**We hope you're ready for the world to fall apart again.**

Albus scanned over it a few times, barely able to comprehend what he was reading.

"This was delivered to the school late this morning, addressed to us.." Harry said, beginning to pace anxiously around the room.

"Nothing happened to me, I swear," Albus said, reassuring himself more than anybody else, "It was frightening but… I'm okay. I'm… Safe."

"I'm just so glad to see you again," Ginny said, wrapping him back up in a comforting embrace.

"There was this man there, though, and he said that he only wanted to prove a point." Albus furrowed his brows, trying to think back to the conversation that felt like it had been weeks ago, months ago, or in a different lifetime altogether.

"Well, he bloody proved it," Harry said darkly.

"He also said next time I wouldn't be so lucky." Albus winced at the murderous look that played across his father's face as his mother bit back a sob.

"This is wrong," Harry said, shaking his head, "This shouldn't be happening, not after everything we did, everything we fought for."

"Well it is, Dad," Albus muttered, "Which is why we have to work together. To make things right again. To stop all of this. There's no point thinking about what might have been when this is the reality we're faced with."

"When did you get so wise?" Harry sighed, running a hand through his hair. Albus just shrugged, trying to muster up a smile.

"I'd better go to bed," Albus said, getting to his feet, "I'll be alright."

"You promise?" Ginny asked, releasing him at last and taking a step back so that she was beside her husband and fixing him with a sharp look.

"I promise," Albus replied, "No more picking mysterious coins off the ground."

"Glad to hear it," Harry said as he took his wife's hand, "If you ever need us, we're only a fireplace away. Shacklebolt says you can floo us at any time."

"Thanks, Dad, Mum," Albus grinned, exuding a false sense of confidence and happiness, "I know the way to my dorm so… I'll see you around, I guess. I love you."

"Be safe!" Were his mother's parting words as he jogged down the steps, past the gargoyle, and along the corridor. After a little while he slowed down, wanting to take his time. Inexplicably, his heart sped up in his chest as he walked down corridors that were as familiar to him as the back of his hand. Shadows leapt out at him from every dark nook or cranny, and the sleeping figures in the paintings he passed seemed more menacing than they previously had.

Thankfully he managed to reign in his fears a little and made it to the Slytherin common room. Smiling sadly at the familiar surroundings, he trudged wearily up the steps to his room, aware that he still looked a sight and vowing to do something about it first thing in the morning, after a well-deserved night's rest.

When Albus entered the room he was surprised to see that Marcus and Scorpius were still up, deep in conversation with Rose, Lily, and Stella. As the door closed behind him with a light thud, the five of them turned to face him with mixed looks of horror and relief.

"Al!" Lily shrieked, running to immediately wrap her brother up in a hug. His lungs felt slightly like they were being slowly crushed, but he couldn't find it in him to complain as he hugged her back just as tightly.

"Merlin, I'm so glad you're safe," Rose said, wrapping her arms around the pair of them, "You just vanished from thin air, Scorpius and I saw it happen, and then Uncle Harry showed us all the letter – are you alright, really?"

"They didn't hurt me, I promise," Albus reassured her as Stella, Marcus and Scorpius joined in the hug. The six of them stood there for Merlin only knew how long, and Albus truly felt safe at last. At some point Albus began to cry, tears of sheer happiness and relief and fatigue, and then they were all crying, and laughing at their own stupidity.

"It's over now, and that's what's important." Albus smiled through the tears still running freely down his cheeks as his friends all released him and each other from the hug, "Thank you for waiting up, if that's what you were doing, I appreciate it."

"As if we could possibly have slept,' Stella said, nudging him with her foot, one hand still tightly clasped to Marcus'.

"Thank you, anyway," Albus said, biting back a yawn, "I'm going to head to bed now. Goodnight guys."

He was just in the bathroom washing the dirt and dried blood from his face when he heard the door shut behind him. Spinning, he came face to face with Scorpius, who hovered by the doorway, biting his lip and looking even more pale and ghostly than usual.

"You're really okay?" He asked, his tone warm and sincere and brimming with sympathy.

"No," Albus admitted, feeling the weight of everything suddenly crashing down around him, "I'm tired, and I'm scared, and I'm tired of being scared."

"I'm so sorry, you didn't deserve any of this."

"None of us did." Albus agreed, sighing, "When did everything become such a mess?"

"Last summer in Diagon Alley," Scorpius said, leaning back against the door and regarding Albus with an unreadable expression, "But you're going to make it through this, okay?"

"I don't feel like I can right now," Albus said, scrubbing at his eyes where tears had started to form unbidden.

"You know you've always got me, right?" Scorpius reached out and placed his hand lightly on Albus' shoulder. Albus took a step forward, closing the gap between them.

"I know," He said, "And it means the world, honestly. Thank you, Scor."

Scorpius took a deep breath, lowering his hand, "Albus, I… I think you should get some sleep."

It felt like there was more he wanted to say, but instead he simply nodded to himself as if resigned.

"You're right, I'm exhausted, but first -" Albus wrapped his arms around him, trying to pour all of his gratitude and love into that one action. They stayed like that, frozen in time, until Scorpius parted, his expression wary.

"Goodnight, Albus," He said, pushing the door open.

"Goodnight," Albus responded, trying to steady the beating of his heart and following him back into the dorm, which was deserted, "And thank you again. For everything."

As he settled into bed, he couldn't help but wonder how long it would be until the nightmares came, and how long he would lie awake tossing and turning before he inevitably went over to join Scorpius in the bed that he had claimed as his own.


	37. Citizen Erased

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is named after the song 'citizen erased' by muse, enjoy!
> 
> unfortunately i'm still pretty ill and as such i think i'm going to have to call a hiatus on this story... hopefully it'll be really short and i'll feel better soon, i just don't have the time or energy to write at the moment, with everything else going on in my life. in the meantime, i hope this chapter suffices. let me know what you think :)
> 
> (and remember, you can always follow me on tumblr @buzzybeewrites, or if you wanna know how my life is going or to find out how much of a loser i really am or whatever, follow me on twitter, i'm @buzzybeeforever)

"I'm sure I used to be so free"

It soon became quite clear to Albus that nothing was going to be the same after what had happened to him. Not only had his experience changed him and his outlook on life completely; no longer would he allow himself to sit idly by or give in to his fear - but people's opinions of him had shifted yet again. Albus no longer knew where he stood with anybody except his few closest friends, and sometimes even that felt rather tenuous.

The incident was all over the Daily Prophet, of course, with several pages of reports by Rita Skeeter. After a breakfast spent desperately trying to avoid all the open-mouthed stares directed his way, Albus had chosen to spend his mealtimes in various other parts of the castle. Thankfully Scorpius never seemed to mind pilfering some food for him, and it was a relief to be away from the many prying eyes that followed him in lessons or in the corridors between them.

Of course, no one but Albus, his parents, and his very closest friends knew exactly what had happened, and so the corridors of Hogwarts were rife with gossip and wild speculation. Albus had heard claims that a dragon had escaped from the Third Task and had carried him off into the sky, or even that he had somehow learned to Apparate from within the school grounds and had simply taken off for the day. In a way, he was glad that so few people knew the truth; not to mention that the rumours gave him a much-needed laugh.

Albus wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel. Most of all he felt an overwhelming sense of relief that no harm had been done to him, but that simply gave way to feelings of guilt at what had happened to his best friend. He just hoped the fog of mixed-up and emotions and confusion would clear before it was too late.

Several days later, however, once the rumours had begun to dissipate and the attention surrounding Albus had just begun to die down, the Pureblood Knights decided they would publicly claim responsibility for the attack in the Daily Prophet. After a morning of being bombarded with questions and accusations, the headline of  **Pureblood Knights - "we kidnapped Potter son"**  was more or less engraved onto his eyeballs, constantly and unpleasantly reminding him of what he had been through.

Kidnapping. It was the word he had hardly dared to use, hardly dared to believe that that was what had really happened to him. And now everybody knew. He hated it; the pitying looks he received from students of all ages, the sad smiles of the teachers after he failed to hand in his homework on time. Really, Albus was alright. His ordeal hadn't been all that terrifying apart from the late night trek through the Forbidden Forest. Most of all it had been frustrating, but nobody would understand that if he told them, so he put up with the pity and the sympathy because he had no other choice.

Not all of the student body were quite so sympathetic; not that Albus had expected anything different from the group of resentful Gryffindors who now seemed intent on making his and Scorpius' lives a misery. When the owls carrying the paper with the incendiary headline had arrived, Sean had simply scoffed and turned to fix Albus with an accusatory glare, as if to say that he didn't believe it for a second.

Albus had been able to ignore it all morning, until he headed down to the Library quickly to grab a book before lunch, only to find himself accosted in the Entrance Hall by Sean and his group of tagalongs. It was a struggle to keep himself from sighing audibly.

"I don't believe the papers for a second, Potter," Sean sneered.

"Okay, and?" Albus said, trying to force his way past them with little success.

"It's a bit of a stretch, isn't it? That the son of Harry Potter would just get kidnapped, like that." He snapped his fingers, "You'd think you'd have some security or something."

"Contrary to apparent popular belief, I am a normal person." Albus shrugged.

"Or perhaps his dad just doesn't care about him." Terrence suggested, grinning wickedly at him, "Being a Slytherin and all."

"Oh, of course, how could I forget that you're the family disappointment. Your dad probably didn't even care all that much when you were 'kidnapped'."

"Actually, he was nearly sorted into Slytherin himself," Albus muttered, managing to push past them as they stared at him, open-mouthed and uncomprehending, "And for the record, I think your parents ought to be more disappointed in you for completely and utterly failing at improving the harmony between the Houses."

"What the hell do you know about my parents, Saint Potter?" Albus smirked as Sean began shouting to him from across the Entrance Hall.

"Hit a nerve, did I?" He asked, glancing back, unable to stop himself, "Funny, you seem to have no problem discussing my family whenever you fancy it."

"Albus! There you are," Scorpius called, just as Albus was getting ready to clock Sean MacClaggan in the face at long last. He was standing by the double doors into the Entrance Hall, watching the scene unfold with his arms crossed, "Come on, we're discussing plans for the masquerade ball this weekend!"

"See you around," Albus said nonchalantly, keeping his fists clenched as he went to join Scorpius, glad to have something to distract himself from the events of the previous week and the misunderstandings and misconceptions of his fellow students. As he sat down with his friends who were eagerly discussing the masks they had ordered, he realised he was actually more excited for the event than he had previously realised. An evening of nothing but fun and dancing and hopefully drinking sounded far too good to be true.

* * *

And, of course, it was.

Excitement for the masquerade ball had been building for weeks, and when the 31st of May finally rolled around, it was palpable throughout Hogwarts, in the way students chattered eagerly amongst themselves in lessons, ignoring the admonishments of their professors, to the way not even the headlines in the Daily Prophet could put a dampener on anybody's mood.

Even Albus found himself carried away in the festivities. If it weren't for his name or news of attacks still appearing almost every day in the Daily Prophet, he would have felt that he was on cloud nine. It hardly felt worth bothering in lessons now that exams were over, and so life itself was easier than it had been for a very long time. There was always the thought of the Pureblood Knights lingering in his mind, but for the time being, he chose to ignore it.

"So," He said on the afternoon of the ball, as he, Rose, and Scorpius chilled out by the Lake, soaking up some much-needed and rare sunlight, "Who are you going with, Rose?"

"You'll see," She said slyly, nudging him. Next to her, Scorpius was beginning yet another daisy chain with quick, nimble fingers.

"Laurent?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. She lowered her sunglasses until they were low enough that she could glare at him effectively.

"No, thank Merlin," She said, leaning back to stare up at the brilliant blue sky, "Seems he's moved on at last."

"Well who, then?" He demanded, tapping his foot impatiently.

"See, I don't get why taking someone to the ball has to necessarily be a romantic thing," She began as Scorpius continued his daisy chain while leaning in to listen attentively to the conversation, "So I thought I'd do what you guys are doing and go with a friend. It's a perfect solution, honestly. I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner, or for the Yule Ball."

"I mean… I did offer," Scorpius reminded her with a wink, "But you were being too stubborn. So, who are you going with?"

"I couldn't go with you, since you're… Taken," She smirked at that as Scorpius blushed, turning back to his daisy chain to hide his pink cheeks. Albus grinned at him, "And so's Stella, and Astrid, and… Everyone really. But then I was in the Ravenclaw common room with Haruko so I thought, why not ask her? Sorted."

"Friendship. It's the new dating. Who would have known?" Albus said sarcastically, sighing and lying back down onto the grass.

"Actually, she… Kind of implied that she wanted to be more than friends," Rose said, not sounding too pleased about that. Albus shot back up so fast he was fairly certain he had nearly broken his neck, "What? I didn't lead her on or anything."

"How did I not realise this?" Albus wondered half-jokingly, furrowing his brows, "I'm usually fantastic at picking up on other people's emotions."

"You did not just say that." Rose said, pulling a thick tome out of her bag and whacking him across the chest with it. She giggled as he landed back on the grass with a thud, "Angela had to practically make out with you before you realised she wanted to date you."

"We do not speak that name here," Albus said gloomily, rubbing at the spot on his side where he had received the brunt of the impact. He glanced at Scorpius, who had a considering expression on his face, before checking his watch out of habit, "Anyway. It's nearly three. Shouldn't we be getting ready? It seemed to take you about a million hours last time."

"You're right. Get up, lazybones." Rose held out her hand and pulled her cousin up from the floor in one swift movement. "Me and Stella are going to get ready with you guys, we already decided. Our dresses have been in your dorm for weeks."

"What? Where?" Albus demanded, as he helped Scorpius to his feet and the three of them began to head towards the castle, Scorpius' daisy chain trailing along behind them.

"You guys do realise you have wardrobes, right?" Rose said, rolling her eyes theatrically, "Come on, hurry up!"

In short order, the three of them were back in the Slytherin dorms, as Rose prowled around, occasionally glancing at her watch and tutting, as Marcus and Stella were nowhere to be found. Eventually she settled for helping Albus and Scorpius sort out their robes, removing the creases and charming Albus' so that it was black and no longer recognisable as the exact same set of robes he had worn to the Yule Ball.

An hour or so later, after Albus and Scorpius had showered and Rose had complained at length about everything and anything, namely her friends' tardiness, Marcus and Stella turned up, looking more than a little windswept.

"At last!" Rose said, throwing her arms up into the air and fixing the two with an accusing glare, "You're late. Where have you been?"

"We, uh..." Marcus glanced at Stella, who giggled, "Got into a slight altercation with Peeves."

Rose narrowed her eyes, "You're here now, I suppose. We'd better hurry up, we only have an hour."

"An hour?" Stella screeched and ran into the bathroom, Rose in tow with both of their dresses. Marcus grinned sheepishly at the pair of them before going over to his trunk and pulling his own set of robes out, one he had bought at Hogsmeade a few weeks back.

"Peeves never shows up in the daytime," Albus said, as he shrugged off his cloak and rifled through his own trunk for the mask his mother had sent him the previous week.

"No, he doesn't," Marcus said with a wink, "Rose doesn't need to know that, though, does she?"

Albus pulled a face, "Definitely not. Come on, Rose is right, we'd better hurry up."

* * *

"Wow," Albus whispered as he was herded into the Great Hall by a group of harassed looking Fifth Year Prefects. It felt more like they were deep in a wonderful, mystical forest, with creepers and vines climbing the wall and draped across the eaves of the ceiling. Bright lights had been weaved through the vines like fireflies, bathing the Hall in an eerie, mysterious glow. Tables were dotted about the room, piled high with food, so Albus and his friends headed directly to one of the closest. There were also bottles of wine, which Albus considered with a queasy smile.

He adjusted the mask on his face; despite being stuck on with magic, it had a tendency to slip down his face every few minutes. It was beautiful and intricate, a deep, shimmering golden colour which his mother claimed would bring out his eyes. Glancing around, he realised that he could hardly recognise anybody, except a few of his own friends, and he found that he quite enjoyed the sense of anonymity that the mask gave him. He was free to be nobody but himself for once.

Next to him, Scorpius was tapping his fingers on the table anxiously as students continued to file in. His mask was spectacular, made up of delicate white feathers that framed his face perfectly. It didn't seem to slip constantly down his face, Albus noted grudgingly, though it did contrast almost too well with his pale hair and dress robes.

"Welcome, everybody, to Hogwarts' first ever masquerade ball!" Shacklebolt announced once everyone was seated. He smiled behind his vibrant turquoise mask as the students clapped in thunderous applause, "Thank you to Professor Cohen of Salem who graciously allowed us to host the event this year, and thanks to you, for no doubt making it a wonderful evening. Enjoy!

"Oh, and I feel that I should point out that the wine on the table is for the witches and wizards who are of age only. We will be keeping an eye out," Nodding once, he sat back down at the teacher's table.

Albus tucked eagerly into the available food at the table, even accepting a glass of wine which he hoped to enjoy in moderation. The taste was slightly sour and unpleasant on his tongue, but he drank it anyway, getting swept up in the atmosphere of jollity and magic. When he finished his meal and discovered that he had drained his wine glass, he let Rose hand him hers, already feeling pleasantly buzzed.

Once everybody had finished their meals, the tables vanished, revealing a dance floor. Albus managed to swipe his glass of wine up before it vanished forever, trying to ignore Scorpius as he laughed at him. The room quietened once more as Shacklebolt got back to his feet.

"As is customary," He began, surveying the room, "Our Triwizard Champions will have the first dance. First, our Champion, Samantha Davies!"

Albus had to fight to keep a grimace off his face as Samantha, her long blonde hair pulled up into an intricate bun, and her partner ascended onto the dance floor. She had a smug smile plastered across her face, which Albus could see even through the mask. She was soon joined by Laurent and Olivia, and gradually, the rest of the student body.

Albus and Scorpius stayed close to the edge of the dance floor, idly commenting on people's outfits as Albus felt himself becoming gradually more drunk. Downing his glass, he placed it on the floor, just as Marcus and Stella disappeared into the throng of dancing people. By the doors stood several Aurors, and Albus eyed them warily, wondering if his brother was among them.

"The Aurors are kind of freaking me out," Albus admitted, trying and failing to disguise a hiccup as he spoke.

"Would you rather they weren't there?" Scorpius asked, taking a sip of wine from his glass, which was almost empty.

"Yeah, you're right… Still, who would have thought things would get this far?" He sighed and leaned against the wall.

"Lighten up, dude." Scorpius said, nudging him. Clearly he was not entirely sober himself, and it was quite amusing to see. Taking a deep breath to steady his spinning head, he turned to his best friend.

"You know, I believe it's customary to dance with your date at these things," Albus said in as casual a tone as he could. It was pretty hilarious to see the way Scorpius froze and began to splutter, choking on his drink, "Alright, if you don't want to, that's fine."

"No, no," Scorpius tried to explain through the coughing, "That sounds like it could be… Fun."

"In that case, Scorpius, will you take this dance?" Albus smirked, offering his hand to Scorpius, who placed his now empty glass of wine on the windowsill and took it, smiling. Around the edges of his mask, his cheeks had gone pink, and the sight made Albus want to giggle even more.

Albus pulled him into the thick crowd of people, and in seconds they were being swept along with the music, their arms around each other. Albus' mind was spinning along with the rest of the room as they turned in circles to the upbeat rhythm of the song that was blasting out through several speakers. Albus had to fight to keep the smile from his face.

"So?" Albus asked, raising his voice to just above the level of the music, "Am I a decent date?"

"You're great! A great date!" Scorpius responded, collapsing into a fit of giggles as they continued to spin across the floor, narrowly avoiding other couples as they danced. Albus had to hold him up as Scorpius leaned into him, resting his head on Albus' shoulder.

"I think you're drunk," Albus said, feeling more than a little light-headed himself. Perhaps alcohol wasn't all that bad, he considered. He felt light as a feather, like he could float right up to the ceiling. Even the weight of Scorpius pressed against him didn't bother him, and neither did the way their bodies were neatly interlocked as they danced.

"I think you might be right," Scorpius whispered in his ear in an exaggerated fashion, his lips brushing gently against his earlobes, sending unexpected shivers down his spine, "And I… Suspect you might be drunk too."

"Me? Never." Albus stuck his tongue out as Scorpius stood back up straight and they continued to dance, careless and carefree. Through the myriad of colours spinning past him, he noticed dark spots that reminded him unnervingly of familiar figures in black cloaks, but he couldn't make his eyes focus on them - not that he put much effort into it.

"You know," Scorpius began as somebody crashed into them, sending them flying forwards. Albus managed to steady himself before Scorpius continued, his eyes wide behind his mask and grey like a summer storm. They were eyes that Albus could imagine finding himself getting completely lost in, "They say that being drunk makes you more honest, so I figure now's as good a time as any to say – wait, what's going -"

"Get down!" Somebody shouted, just as the room erupted in complete chaos. Albus found himself flung onto the floor, the wind expelled from his lungs as Scorpius crumpled into a heap on top of him. Somewhere in the back of his mind, some part of him had a distinct awareness that everything was going to shit all over again, and he was probably too drunk to do anything about it.

Trying his best to ignore the heavy feeling in his head, Albus pulled himself to his feet along with Scorpius, who was now pale as a sheet. Subconsciously, he found himself taking his friend's hand as he surveyed the scene in front of him and came to understand what was happening. In the centre of the hall, several feet away from him, stood a group of ten or so figures in dark cloaks, the same dark cloaks that plagued his nightmares and ever so occasionally haunted him in the waking world, as they were doing once again.

With a crackle, the music came to a halt, and the few students still dancing came to a standstill. The Great Hall was hushed into the silence. It seemed that even the teachers didn't dare speak; everyone simply stared in horror at the centre of the room as the figures dressed all in black held their wands aloft in front of them, forming a circle. Albus didn't recognise them at first glance, as they were all wearing matching onyx masks that entirely obscured their faces. No wonder Albus had failed to realise who they were at first; he had simply assumed they were fellow students. How they had gotten into the school and into the party in the first place was a complete mystery.

"Good evening, everybody," The voice that reverberated around the room was soft and malicious all at once, and it sent a bolt of fear piercing right through Albus' stomach. From where he was standing, he couldn't tell which of the six figures had spoken, "I hope you're all comfortable, as we have quite an evening planned for you."

At the front of the Hall, Shacklebolt took an angry step forwards, his wand held up. Albus watched with bated breath as he seemed to waver on unsteady feet before collapsing suddenly back into his seat, his eyes shut tightly. Professor Longbottom stepped forward in his place, but he too began to wobble dangerously until he collapsed, sprawled across the table.

"We didn't want to be interrupted, now, did we?" The voice continued, sounding gleeful as yet more teachers began to fall seemingly unconscious. Albus could hardly believe his eyes or his ears, "I do hope the teachers enjoyed their wine."

Albus found himself being pushed towards the edge of the room, as far away from the towering figures in black as was possible. Mercifully, his head felt a little clearer, and he took a deep breath, trying to steady his heartbeat. The student body gasped as one as the two Aurors at the door tried to take a stand and were immediately disarmed and paralysed. As they fell to the floor with a clearly audible thump, Albus knew that all hope was lost. What chance did he have when two skilled Aurors with years of training behind them were so easily defeated?

"Where shall we begin?" The voice continued, taunting. Albus felt like his legs were going to collapse under him at any second. He had to do something, like last time. He had to be brave, but in his slightly drunken stupor he knew that all of his courage had ultimately deserted him.

"You won't get away with this!" A high, clear voice cut through the low murmurs of panicked students as they huddled at the very edges of the room. Albus bit back a sigh as Samantha Davies stepped out of the crowd, her head held high and her mask in her hand. One of the Pureblood Knights began snickering as she bravely, or stupidly, took another step forwards.

"And why is that?" Albus could hardly bare to look at the scene unfolding before him; he glanced around, only to realise that many people were looking at him expectantly, faces he recognised from many Saturdays and late nights spent in the Room of Requirement. He couldn't help but think that their faith was misplaced as Samantha was joined by who Albus supposed must be her usual group of Gryffindor lackeys; Emma, Sean, and Terrence. Behind the four of them was Hasnain, who was shaking his head at his four friends, his own mask having presumably been lost in the initial chaos.

"You can't possibly think this is going to work," Samantha scoffed, placing a hand on her hip, no doubt close to where she had a wand stored away somewhere on her extravagant dress. Albus felt more eyes on his but he forced himself to watch, "If anything, you're the only proof anyone needs that they should have gotten rid of Slytherin completely after the war. You're cowards, the lot of you!"

A tall and hulking figure stepped forward from the group. His voice was deep and commanding as he spoke, his tone rather smug, "I suppose it'll come as a surprise, then, to discover that we have several Ravenclaws in our rank, and one wise Gryffindor. I didn't think you'd be so stupid to believe that in the long run, the Houses mean anything at all. We have a greater goal in mind..."

Samantha balked at him, "Don't be preposterous!"

A smaller, more feminine figure stepped forwards, her wand pointed straight at Samantha's heart, "I think it's time we begin the show."

"Patience," The original speaker stepped forward, placing a hand on the woman's shoulder, "I feel we have some explaining to do. The Pureblood Knights, this movement, it isn't about Houses, or about divides. It's about balance, and restoring it to society."

"What the hell are you on about?" Sean demanded, coming to stand side by side with Samantha. He was instantly recognisable by the sandy blonde hair that spilled over his mask. For once, Albus found himself agreeing with him, though it was reluctantly. He took another step back, trying to keep himself and Scorpius hidden, as they had been targets in the past.

"You're mad, the lot of you." Samantha said, her face as pale as Albus had ever seen it. She couldn't even summon up a smug smile, and her horrified expression was completely unlike her.

"We think we're rather reasonable, actually," The woman sniffed petulantly, "It's obvious that there's too much intermingling between Muggle and Wizarding society. Isn't it obvious that this is what has caused all of these problems over the years? If we're to restore balance, we have to keep them separate. The Statute of Secrecy just isn't enough anymore."

"We won't let you get away with this," Emma said, joining her two Gryffindor friends. She put on a brave front, but the way her wand arm was shaking was rather telling. In seconds, she had been disarmed, but not before she managed to throw off a stinging hex, which hit one of the Pureblood Knights in the shoulder, with seemingly little effect. She stepped back in horror, her face paling visibly as her wand clattered to the floor several feet in front of her

"You really think you can best us? A group of children?" The first speaker, who Albus assumed was their leader, took a taunting step towards the Gryffindors, twirling their wand between their fingers, "If anything, you unruly brats are proof of how much we need to restore balance to this world."

"I still say it's Slytherin's fault," Sean said stubbornly, wrapping one arm consolingly around Emma's shoulder. Before he could open his mouth to say another word, however, he found himself on the receiving end of several spells that sent him flying backwards into the teacher's table, where the Hogwarts staff remained unconscious. It reminded Albus that this little room must have existed in a bubble; nobody in the outside world had a clue what was going on. His parents thought he was at the masquerade ball, dancing with his friends and having a good time, yet here he was, barely able to move due to the sheer terror of it all, of his world crumbling to pieces in front of his very eyes.

Albus' mind was much clearer now, the effects of the alcohol having worn completely off, and he knew that it was now or never. He had to make a stand; even if he failed, even if he was utterly defeated, at least he wouldn't feel the guilt of knowing he had stood back and done nothing to protect his friends, his family, and his school. He glanced at Scorpius, for encouragement, for support, for an indication not to do what he was about to do. His friend simply nodded at him, which did nothing to ease the growing panic that was rising in Albus' throat.

Wondering just what the hell he was getting himself into, Albus removed his own mask and weaved through the crowd packed tightly around him, towards the centre of the room where the stupidly brave Gryffindors were facing off with the Pureblood Knights. The tension building up in the room was so thick Albus almost swore he could feel it clogging up his nose and throat. He hardly dared to breathe as students parted to let him through with small but encouraging smiles. He was simply doing what he had to do.

"Enough," He called as he stepped free from the throng of people. Several hundred masked faces turned to look at him, and hushed whispers rose up across the Hall, though they were soon stifled, "This ends now."

One of the Pureblood Knights turned to face him, smirking underneath the raven-like mask, "Well, well. If it isn't Albus Potter. Didn't we tell you you wouldn't be so lucky this time?"

"I have plenty of luck left, I think," Albus said, trying to hide his own grin as he was disarmed; of course, for him, being disarmed was no problem at all. He had been expecting it, looking forward to it almost. Letting the Pureblood Knights believe they had the upper hand was essential if he wanted any chance of success in whatever the hell it was that he was doing.

Thankfully, the Gryffindors took the opportunity of the momentary distraction to dissolve back into the crowd, dragging an unconscious Sean with them. Albus barely spared them a glance, as he needed all of his wits and determination about him.

"What do you think you're going to do? Stop us?" The figure in black chortled, as the rest of the Pureblood Knights joined in. Albus took a deep breath and got to work, beginning to weave an invisible shield around the ten men and women in the centre of the room. It took a great deal of effort to keep his face smooth.

"Me? No, I'm just one person," Albus shrugged in as nonchalant a way as was possible, though he was already beginning to feel the exertion of using wandless magic for an extended period of time. With Zabini, he had mostly focused on quick attacks, but this was for more intricate and subtle, "But here at Hogwarts, we aren't going to stand idly by and let you get away with spreading this absolute bullshit. Your ideology is flawed, and once all of your group realises it, you're going to fall apart, just like the Death Eaters did after the war."

Aware that this was perhaps beyond his abilities, Albus summoned his Patronus, just outside the Hall, shouting mental orders at it to warn any and all Aurors around of the situation in the Great Hall. He released it with a barely concealed sigh, having no idea whether or not he was successful. He had to try, at least.

"Is that so?" The tallest figure took a step forwards, already towering over Albus. He hurriedly moved the shield so that he wouldn't feel it. Albus risked a glance behind his shoulder to discover that his friends, as well as the group that met up in the Room of Requirement, had separated from the crowd as well, and were forming a protective semicircle around him. Scorpius offered him a weak smile, Rose a quick thumbs-up. He felt unstoppable all of a sudden. He couldn't possibly fail, not when he had his friends with him.

"It is indeed," Albus said, turning back to face the people who had caused him so much grief and anxiety. His heart was pounding in his chest as he continued, "This ends tonight. It has to. I'm – we're – not going to let you keep hurting, killing, and intimidating people. If stirring up old fears is what you've wanted, then you've done just that. You can stop now."

"And you think you children can stop us, where fully trained Aurors have been unable to do anything at all?" The man barked a deep, intimidating laugh.

"Now!" Albus yelled, ducking as spells began to fly from behind him. He was quite impressed with his shield. It let spells in, but it didn't let anything out. As the Pureblood Knights attempted to fight back, their spells simply rebounded, adding to the chaos caused by the maelstrom of hexes and jinxes from Albus' friends.

"Pathetic," The main Pureblood Knight stepped forwards, coming to a stop right in front of where Albus was crouched low to the floor, at the very edge of the shield he had created which was slowly but steadily beginning to waver, letting the occasional spell through which he desperately prayed didn't hit his friends.

"You're the ones who are pathetic," Albus said, getting to his feet. He felt light-headed and weak, like the slightest breeze could blow him over.

"No. We're the ones who are winning," The man replied, sneering. Albus risked a glance back, and upon seeing Scorpius lying on the floor, unconscious, blood pooling around his body, the weak, cracked shield shattered altogether.

"I won't… Let you… Get away with this," Albus said through gritted teeth as he tried without success to create another shield.

"I think we've had enough fun for one evening, don't you?" The man stepped back, projecting his voice across the Hall and winking at Albus before he did so. Albus grimaced, all too aware that he had failed. Again. He couldn't do a damn thing.

One second the Pureblood Knights were there, effortlessly deflecting the spells being flung at them, and the next second, they were gone. The Hall descended into a state of frenzied chaos as students realised this and frantically began to run around, making sure their friends were safe.

Albus was certain that they couldn't have just disappeared; a disillusionment charm, perhaps, or invisibility cloaks. Warily he glanced around the Hall, until he thought he saw a flash of movement there, in the corner of his eye. He struck out with his wandless magic, the last burst of energy he had reserved inside of him, and fell to the floor in a mix of glee and exhaustion as he realised that the spell had hit its target.

The world became a dull blur around him, people shuffling past him unnoticed as he tried to keep his heavy eyelids open. He could easily have fallen asleep where he sat, but he resisted temptation and clambered back to his feet to try and assess what damage he had caused.

He shuffled with great effort over to where several of his friends, including Scorpius and Rose, stood, wands pointed directly at the robed figure in black lying on the floor, hands shielded over their face where their mask had fallen off. Albus thought he recognised the dirty blonde hair tied up into a bun - but no, he couldn't possibly have been friends with one of them.

"What the hell happened?" He asked Scorpius, whose wand arm was trembling. He looked a mess, his blonde hair in disarray about his face, his mask discarded in the chaos, his robes grey with dirt and soot and the close encounters with several spells.

"They got away." He said, frowning and lowering his wand once it became clear that the figure on the floor posed no threat. Hands still covering her face, she had begun sobbing relentlessly, shaking from head to toe. Albus couldn't summon up even an ounce of sympathy for her, "No idea how, though."

"The teachers are starting to wake up," Rose observed, glancing over to the teachers' table, where several members of staff were being roused from unconsciousness by students making liberal use of the aguamenti charm, "And Stella and Marcus went to alert the Aurors outside. They should be arriving any second… Assuming the attack was limited to the Great Hall."

"Bloody hell." It was all that Albus could say in response to that.

"Hey, you managed to stop them in their tracks," Rose nudged him gently, "You even managed to catch one of them. That was no easy feat."

"I just hope it was enough," Albus said, leaning in to take a closer look at the perpetrator, who had been disarmed and seemed small and scared under the bright lights of the Great Hall. She lowered her hands slightly and Albus got a look at her face for the first time. He leapt up in shock, feeling his blood turn to ice in fear and recognition. "Heather?"

"What?" Rae said from a few feet away, where she had been talking to a few other student. She turned to look at the sobbing girl sitting on the floor, "No, it can't be, I saw her earlier this evening, she - Merlin, it really is you."

Heather began weeping even harder, foregoing all attempts of hiding her face from her schoolmates and peers, "Rae, please, it was never meant to get this far, I -"

"You made your choice, Heather," Rae said coldly, crossing her arms in front of her. Her eyes were like chips of ice as she continued, "Now you have to deal with the consequences."

She turned on her heel and strode out of the room then, her boyfriend following closely behind her. Around her, people went silent and turned to face Heather, who had buried her face back into her hands.

Albus swayed slightly on his feet, feeling exhaustion take hold once again as Aurors began to flood into the room, wands at the ready. He caught sight of his father at the front, leading the rest of the group, and waved him over.

"What the hell's going on here?" Harry asked, his face livid, his emerald green eyes narrowed. He looked about as tired as Albus felt, with dark shadows under his eyes and creases on his forehead that Albus was certain hadn't been there before.

Albus launched into a lengthy explanation, punctuated by the occasional yawn. When he found he could no longer gather the energy to continue, Rose and Scorpius stepped in, babbling incessantly and talking over each other in order to get the story out as quickly as possible.

Albus zoned out slightly as he watched two Aurors drag Heather out of the room, their faces set like thunder. She seemed completely defeated, not bothering to resist them at all. From across the Hall, Albus found himself meeting eyes with her, sending a shiver of revulsion down his spine. She smiled at him briefly before disappearing from sight, and somehow that was the most chilling moment of the whole evening.

"What now?" He asked, turning back to his father and letting himself be enveloped in a hug.

"Now? Get some rest," Harry said soothingly, stroking back his hair, "You certainly deserve it, from what your friends have told me. The Aurors and I, we can handle things from here on in."

"That's the best news I've heard in a while," Albus said through a yawn that felt like it was threatening to crack his jaw in two, "You coming, Scor?"

"Sure," Scorpius said with a shrug, slouching over to the two of them from where he had been deep in conversation with Lily. He too looked on the brink of exhaustion. "Sorry about all this, Mr. Potter. We should have tried harder to get them all."

"You're just kids," Harry said, a sad smile on his face, "You shouldn't need to be dealing with any of this at all. Like I said, we can handle this. Get some rest, and tell your friends to do the same."

"Night, Dad," Albus said, and with one last hug, he and Scorpius headed back to the Room of Requirement, as the thought of having to deal with his Housemates was almost nauseating, amid crowds of people who were trying to come to terms with what exactly had happened that evening. Albus had had such high expectations for the evening, and of course they had been well and thoroughly crushed. He decided then and there never to bother with such wishful thinking for the time being.

"Hogwarts was under attack. Again." Scorpius stated, his voice solemn as they trudged up a set of stairs.

"Yeah," Was all Albus could say in response.

"Heather was part of it! She was one of the Pureblood Knights!" Scorpius ran a hand through his hair, his expression disbelieving, "I hardly feel I can trust anybody anymore."

"You can always trust me," Albus said as they reached the familiar tapestry, pacing up and down, "And for now, let's forget about all of this. We need to sleep. We can discuss all of this in the morning."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Scorpius admitted as he pushed open the door lethargically, "Sweet dreams, or whatever."

Fat chance of that, Albus thought as he headed over to his bed, not even bothering to change into his pyjamas as he fell into a deep and uncomfortable sleep almost the second his head hit the pillow.


	38. Slippery Slope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am so sorry that it took so long to publish this! between being ill, being on holiday, and preparing for uni, i've barely had time to think, let alone write, but i was adamant that i publish this today (as such, i apologise for any errors)
> 
> today's chapter is named after the song 'slippery slope' by the dø. enjoy, and please let me know what you thought!
> 
> (and remember, you can always follow me on tumblr @buzzybeewrites or on twitter @buzzybeeforever)

"No way up, no way back; stuck in the middle, I'm stuck in the middle"

Being the son of Harry Potter was exhausting; Albus didn't know how James could possibly put up with it or even enjoy it. Then again, James didn't seem to do anything deemed worthy of being put into the Daily Prophet nearly as often as Albus did. He was an Auror-in-training, a topic which had come up once or twice, but he had never been kidnapped or anything 'exciting' like that, much as he hinted that it would make his life more interesting. It seemed peculiar, ironic even, as James had always been the one more enthusiastic about living up to their father's legacy, yet here Albus was again, his name decorating the headline of the front page of the infamous newspaper.

Rolling his eyes, Albus turned the page to see if anything else interesting had happened in the past twenty-four hours. It hadn't. News of the Pureblood Knight attack and Albus' supposed heroics were splashed across the next seven pages of the paper. He wanted nothing more than to melt into a puddle on the floor and disappear from his existence entirely, but unfortunately his wandless magic could only stretch so far.

The general mood around the Great Hall that morning at breakfast was decidedly sombre. Over at the Gryffindor table, Samantha and the rest of her group who had attempted to challenge the Pureblood Knights sat picking moodily at their food, while at the teacher's table, the Hogwarts professors sipped their coffee in stony silence. Even from where Albus was sat, he could see the deep shadows under their eyes, and feel their regret that they had been unable to do anything.

Rae sat opposite him, her eyes rimmed with red. Albus could hardly imagine the betrayal she must have been feeling, nor how she managed to put up with all of the accusing glances and outright glares without bursting into tears all over again.

The revelation that Heather was a member of the Pureblood Knights had completely shaken the entire school. Across the Hall, Heather's younger sister, a Hufflepuff, was sobbing into Lily's robes, and the Slytherins sat huddled together in complete silence, unaware who among them might also be a part of that group which had caused so much suffering.

The previous night, the Aurors had attempted to lock down the Hall to see if there were any notable absences among the students, but too many had already left, escaping the second the doors had been opened in order to get back to the relative safety of their own dorms. Albus found he didn't blame them in the slightest.

Albus himself had spent the night in an exhausted daze. After wishing his father goodnight and good luck, and dragging Scorpius to the Room of Requirement, sleep had been all too easy to come by. His dreams, however, had been plagued with gruesome images and thoughts of failure and he had woken at around five in the morning, sweating and barely able to catch his breath. Realising that more sleep was going to be impossible to come by, he had stumbled into the main room only to find a bleary eyed Scorpius already up, mindlessly flicking through the channels on the television.

They had spent several hours together on the sofa, safe and snuggled up underneath blankets and laughing at the ridiculous accents and outfits of the people in the old black and white movies. If there had ever been a time that Albus wished he could stop time, could preserve a moment, it would probably be that exact moment. If he could have forgotten everything that had been happening, it would have been perfect.

Soon enough, however, Albus had had to face reality and join the rest of the school. He was surprised that there was no open hostility towards the Slytherins from the other Houses, but most students seemed willing to forget the differences between them for the time being in order to focus on repairing Hogwarts itself, something which everyone knew would involve plenty of inter-House harmony.

"Ready to go?" Scorpius asked from beside him, hefting his bag up onto his shoulders. Albus stared at him for a few seconds, wondering what exactly he was on about, before he remembered the letter that had arrived earlier, inviting him, Rose, and Scorpius to an urgent meeting of the Order of the Phoenix. There were many things he would rather have been doing, but Rose and Scorpius both seemed rather keen, not to mention that his father would no doubt want to talk to him in more depth after the events of the previous night, which still didn't quite feel real.

"No." Albus replied at last, getting to his feet despite his trepidation, "Allons-y"

Scorpius gave him a small smile that Albus supposed was meant to be reassuring, and the two of them headed out of the Hall, to be joined by a sleepy looking Rose in the Entrance Hall who was still frantically trying to tame her hair into a ponytail. When she saw Albus and Scorpius approaching, she sighed and crossed her arms, regarding them with a haughty expression.

"I guess I'll have to get breakfast later," She said as she turned on her heel to follow them up to Shacklebolt's office, her shoes clacking loudly against the stone floor, "I overslept. Me! I never oversleep, but I slept right through three alarms, and no one even bothered to wake me up. I guess last night was just a bit of a shock to the system."

"The less said about last night, the better," Albus said in a subdued tone of voice as they jogged up the steps, "I just want to forget all about it, but that's really not possible."

"It'll be alright," Scorpius assured him, placing his hand briefly on Albus' shoulder, "If you want, me and Rose will do all the talking. Rose'll probably enjoy it."

"Hey!" Rose protested from beside them, "You're right, though. I don't mind talking. I'm pretty good at it, apparently."

"Thanks, guys." Albus genuinely felt relieved, like a heavy weight had been lifted from his shoulders, "I really appreciate that."

"S'no problem," Scorpius grinned as they reached Shacklebolt's office and muttered the password, hurrying up the steps. The circular and lavishly decorated office room was empty, but they had been expecting that. Sharing one last look, the three of them stepped into the fireplace.

Albus couldn't help but smile as he stumbled into his living room, trying to shake off the distinct sense of nausea from using the floo. Everything was just as he remembered it; the walls decorated with abstract scribblings from his childhood, the books piled high on every available surface, the sofas and chairs dotted about the room. Simply being back in Grimmauld Place felt like a warm hug, comforting and familiar and welcoming all at once.

Suddenly, Albus had the air knocked out of his lungs as someone wrapped their arms around him in a bone-crushing hug. Taking a step back, Albus was surprised to see that it was James, who looked distinctly worried with frown lines on his forehead and stubble that he had never seen on his brother before.

"It's good to see you, little Slytherin," James said, as he nodded to Rose and Scorpius, who had just arrived behind him, "Little cousin, little Malfoy."

"Who are you and what have you done with James Potter?" Albus asked, glaring at him accusingly but unable to hide the smile from his face. His brother looked older than he ever had before, like all that growing up he had been doing was really taking its toll on him. With everything that was happening, Albus wasn't surprised in the slightest.

"It's me, you doofus," James nudged him, hard, and Albus knew that things weren't too different, "I'm allowed to miss my brother, you know? Your brother who is now a full Auror."

"Really? Sweet," Albus clapped him on the arm, "I knew you'd get there eventually."

"Training's meant to be two years, but with everything that's happening…" James shrugged, his eyes tight, "Come on, everyone's waiting for you guys."

In the kitchen, Albus was met by what should have been the welcoming sight of most of his extended family all gathered together in one place, but what was instead a room full of people just as sombre as those in the Great Hall that morning. In amongst the redheads and relatives sat two figures huddled closely together, one with familiar pale blonde hair. Scorpius immediately went to join them, and simply seeing Scorpius' face light up as he met his baby sister for the first time was enough to diminish the gloomy atmosphere of the room; for Albus, at least.

"Ah, you're here," Shacklebolt said, nodding to him and Rose, who both took seats next to their own parents. Ginny smiled at Albus sadly and took his hand, squeezing it tightly. It did little to reassure him despite its obvious intentions. "Fantastic. Let's begin."

Harry got to his feet, clearing his throat as his chair scraped loudly against the floor, a sound which resonated through the silent room, "We have a lot to talk about today. As you know, Hogwarts came under attack by the Pureblood Knights once again last night. We still don't know what their motives were, or how they got in, but what I do know is that we need to put a stop to them before the safety of our children becomes further compromised."

There were nods and murmurs of agreement throughout the room. Albus settled into his chair, swiping a croissant from the table that his Grandma Weasley had piled high with food for the meeting and trying his best to ignore the less than obvious stares he was receiving from various family members who had no doubt heard about his escapades in the Daily Prophet.

"Albus, I believe it would be a great help if we heard what had happened from your perspective," Harry gave his son a small, encouraging smile that did nothing to help relieve his anxiety. With a sigh, he sat up straight and reluctantly began to describe the events of the previous night. Thankfully, Rose and Scorpius interjected at various intervals, as Albus found himself constantly distracted by the horrified looks playing across the faces of the adults and wanted nothing more than to sink back into his seat and vanish from view.

At last, Harry seemed satisfied with what the three teenagers had told him, and so the adults in the room, including those who had been in the Order in its very first incarnation, began discussing strategies and techniques that might possibly help them find and put a stop to the Pureblood Knights. Albus found himself zoning out when he realised it was all just pointless speculation, and instead found himself wondering what he would be faced with when he got back to school.

Two hours and no fewer than five croissants later, the meeting was at last adjourned. Albus let his relatives kiss his cheeks and give him their best wishes in a bit of a daze. It was as if the events of the night before had shattered his perceptions entirely, and now nothing quite felt real anymore. How could he be here, with his family, as they wished him well and congratulated him on his bravery, when there was a real threat out there? He felt like a liar, a fraud in his own body. He had never felt less a part of his family as he did in that moment.

Albus found he felt rather like he was drowning; a Slytherin in a vast sea of Gryffindors. That wasn't to say that he didn't love his family; in fact, he could barely conceive such a thing - it was just that after every so-called heroic act he had done, he had expected to feel more like he fit in, but that moment had never come.

Sighing, he shook his Uncle Charlie's hand and with one last wave at his family, he stepped back into the fireplace, feeling the weight of the world lift off his shoulders as he did so. Even the nauseating sensation of the floo couldn't diminish the sense of relief that he felt at being back at Hogwarts. Then he remembered that even the safety, security, and familiarity of Hogwarts had been utterly destroyed by the Pureblood Knights, and so it was with a heavy heart that he awaited his friends' return.

Rose was through almost immediately, grinning broadly . Around her parents she loved nothing more than to give off an air of confidence and self-assuredness, but as she stumbled into Shacklebolt's office, the mask slipped, and she was back to her more usual and slightly grumpier self.

Almost five minutes later, Scorpius appeared in a flash of green flame. From the traces of tears on his cheeks, Albus knew that Scorpius regretted having to leave his family and his new sibling behind. He could only imagine how hard it must have been.

"Library?" Rose said, fixing each of them in turn with her most incendiary glare. When Albus groaned, she whacked him across the arm and muttered, "If I don't get this Transfiguration homework finished, Professor Holland will finish me."

"Can't we have even a day off?" Albus couldn't help but whine as they descended the spiral staircase that would take them into the rest of the castle, "I'm still absolutely bloody exhausted after yesterday."

"Homework waits for no man, Albus." Rose said sternly through a barely concealed grin. Scorpius rolled his eyes at the pair of them and furtively wiped at the remaining tear tracks on his cheeks with his sleeve, an action which Albus couldn't fail to miss.

"Exams are over, I'd rather hoped homework would be, too."

Rose was about to retort something that was probably extremely clever or rhetorical when the three of them found their path blocked by Sean, Terrence, and Hasnain.

"Where have you three been, then?" Sean demanded, stepping forward from where he had been leaning casually against the wall and meeting Rose's glare directly, without even flinching. Terrence and Hasnain, who had been idly tossing a wad of paper between them, stopped what they were doing to flank Sean, mimicking the positions of Albus and his friends.

"That's none of your business, McClaggan," Rose hissed, crossing her arms over her chest and standing as straight as she could. Across from Albus, Hasnain grinned uneasily. Albus just slouched into a more comfortable position, not daring to rise to the occasion.

"I think it is, especially after yesterday." Sean cringed slightly, perhaps at the memory of being knocked unconscious by the Pureblood Knights, but he regained his composure very quickly, his face screwed back up in misguided irritation at the people in front of him, "Who's to say you're not part of the Pureblood Knights? Going off to a secret meeting?"

"Using the Headmaster's fireplace?" Rose scoffed, "How stupid do you think we are?"

"You'd probably prefer that I didn't answer that," Sean said, smiling smugly as Rose fumed in front of him, "And since Heather turned out to be one of them, how can anyone trust any of you?"

"Are you crying, Malfoy?" Terrence, who was on Sean's other side, guffawed loudly, before continuing, unaware as always as to when to shut his mouth, "Well, that's no surprise, after all the nights we've had to listen to your pathetic sobbing. Why do you think we didn't want you around anymore, gaying up the place?"

Several things happened at once then. Scorpius took an angry step forwards, his fists clenched at his side, Rose turned to regard Terrence with an expression that Albus imagined could possibly have turned him to stone, had they been in ancient Greece. Hasnain turned to look at his friend, his expression mildly horrified. Sean just smirked whilst Albus had to fight down the immediate and overwhelming urge to lash out at the three boys with his wandless magic.

Instead, he forced himself to take a deep breath and step forwards, trying to keep his breathing steady and even as he spoke. It took a great deal of effort to be even a little civil towards the three Gryffindor boys, but Albus wouldn't rise to the challenge; not again.

"Leave Scorpius alone, all of you." He said it as sternly as he could, glancing to the side to make sure Scorpius was alright. He wasn't; that much was clear – but unfortunately that was a problem for another time, "I bet if any of you had been through even a fraction of the shit that Scorpius has, you'd be a constant blubbering mess. So I'm asking you, for the last time, to leave him – and all of us – alone."

Sean and Terrence shared a look, before Terrence burst out laughing.

"It's cute," He said, sniggering, "The way you're so protective of your boyfriend."

All attempts at civility immediately flew out of the window as Albus felt something snap inside of him. He wasn't quite sure what it was; anger or irritation, perhaps. Whatever it was, it left him on the very brink of unleashing a tidal wave of magic.

"For Merlin's sake, he's not my boyfriend!" Albus growled, "Can't you just get that into your thick heads? Scorpius is my friend, alright? The best person I know, sure, but my best friend – and that's all he's ever going to be."

"Pfft," Sean snorted, "Looks like I've hit a nerve, there, I bet -"

He was cut off by Hasnain, who interjected with a muttered, "Just let it drop, Sean."

"Much as I hate to admit it," Rose said, her face twisted up in loathing and anger, "Hasnain is right. Come on, guys, let's get out of here."

With that, she spun on her heel and headed back down the corridor, pulling Albus and Scorpius along with her. Albus let her, afraid of what might happen if he was left standing with them for a moment more. For once, the three Gryffindors didn't shout petty insults and jibes after them or send any jinxes their way, and for that Albus was rather grateful. He would have hated to be expelled for whatever he would perhaps have done to them.

"You alright, Scor?" Albus asked once they had seated themselves in one of the cosiest alcoves of the Slytherin common room. Seated across him, Albus could clearly tell that his eyes were red and puffy, as if he had been crying on the walk down. Albus felt his heart clench almost painfully. He just wished there was something – anything – that he could do to make things alright.

"No, not really." He mumbled with a certain finality, fumbling about in his bag so that Albus couldn't clearly see his face.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Albus probed further, in as gentle a tone as possible. Rose was glaring at him slightly, for reasons unknown, but he chose to ignore her for the time being.

"No." Scorpius replied, getting to his feet. His tone was stern and somewhat clipped, like he was having difficulty getting the words out, "I'm going back to the library."

Albus watched him go, confused and slightly hurt. He had always been able to get through to his friend before; he was certain that if he gave Scorpius a little time before he approached him again, then everything would be fine. He nodded to himself and turned back to his homework, only to find Rose still glowering at him.

"You're a real doofus, you know that, Al?" She demanded, narrowing her eyes. Before Albus could even begin to splutter out a response, she slammed her book onto the table, "Come on, let's get this done before it's too late."

* * *

"I can't believe I'm leaving in just a few hours," Angela sighed and took a long sip of her tea, regarding Albus with an unreadable expression from the opposite side of the Slytherin table. Across the Hall, Hogwarts students were saying their final farewells to the Beauxbatons and Salem cohort. It was truly a heartwarming sight to see that such strong and enduring friendships had been forged. Whether his friendship with Angela was one of those, he wasn't yet certain.

Over the last few weeks, the pair of them had been talking more and more frequently. They had both agreed to steer well away from the topic of their relationship or of any of the things that had caused their break-up, and Albus found that despite everything, forgiveness was possible, and so was friendship, even if the attraction was no longer there.

"Me too," Albus frowned, gazing listlessly into his own mug of black coffee, "I'm just glad we made up. I guess I… Forgot just how much I enjoyed being friends with you."

"We're straying into dangerous territory here," Angela put her cup down and continued to watch him, her mouth turning up slightly, "But I feel the same way. This year's been great, but I must admit it was better with you in it. Going to Salem's going to feel pretty weird."

"Hogwarts, too." Albus nodded, then grinned and gestured to the food spread across the table, "Time for one last English breakfast?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Angela giggled and began shovelling food onto her plate with a vigour that Albus wasn't sure even he could match as Albus began filling his own plate up. Sure, things between them were sometimes a little awkward, but there was nothing quite like food to bring them back together.

"We'll keep in touch, right?" Albus asked through a mouthful of baked beans, "And if you're ever in London -"

"Of course!" Angela said, wisely choosing to swallow her food before she spoke, "Oh, hey there, Scorpius. Care to join us?"

Albus glanced to the side, where Scorpius stood awkwardly, twiddling his thumbs. His expression was a mixture of angry and confused all at once, and cursing internally, Albus realised that he hadn't told Scorpius that he and Angela had been hanging out again. It felt like the kind of thing a person told their best friend, but Scorpius had been rather distant for the past week, no doubt due to the events at Hogwarts coupled with everything that was happening with his family. Under the same kind of pressure, Albus probably would have exploded.

"No, thanks," He said coldly, and Albus didn't miss the way his gaze flickered towards Angela and his eyes narrowed. Without another word, he turned on his heel and strode back to the Gryffindor table, where he sat himself between Lily and Rose, who looked awfully keen to hear what he had to say. Frowning, Albus turned back to his breakfast.

"Everything alright between you guys?" Angela asked, her tone all too sympathetic. Albus just nodded and tucked back into his breakfast, feeling his stomach twist uneasily.

* * *

That lunchtime, after a lovely morning spent lounging about on the grounds of Hogwarts in the blazing sunshine with Angela and her friends from Salem and reminiscing about the year that had just passed, Albus, along with the rest of the school, trudged back to the Hall for one last goodbye to the exchange students.

After everything the students had been through together, from the attacks by the Pureblood Knights to happier times, such as the Yule Ball, saying goodbye was incredibly difficult. There were tears all round as Professor Cohen and Madame Bénichou gave their departing speeches, and even the odd smile as Shacklebolt officially closed the Triwizard Tournament and promised to send his best Third Years along to Beauxbatons for the next competition with his usual easy sense of humour.

"And lastly," He said to the near silent room, "I would like to thank all of you here, for your cooperation, for the friendships made, and for your strength in times of adversity. Our students will never forget you, and I am certain that Hogwarts itself won't, either. Remember that you're all welcome to visit at any time – and I assume that invitation goes both ways."

Shacklebolt grinned at the two other heads, who grinned and nodded, "Thank you, and goodbye."

The room erupted then in rapturous applause, so loud that Albus could barely hear himself think. Hoping that no one noticed, he pulled a tissue from his pocket and wiped at his eyes. Even he hadn't been able to stop the tears from flowing.

"This is goodbye, then." Angela said once the students had been herded back outside. As the Beauxbatons students crowded onto the carriage that had been their home all year, waving goodbyes and blowing kisses, the Salem students were gathered around several long-distance portkeys.

"Come on, Angela!" Nedjma shouted, waving her friend over.

"See you around, Albus." Stretching up onto her tiptoes, she kissed Albus lightly on the cheek before sprinting over to her friends and grabbing hold of the portkey, an old cigarette lighter. Before she vanished into thin air, Albus couldn't help but notice the blush that was spread across her cheeks and neck, and he smiled sadly to himself. Things had never worked out between them, but perhaps that was for the best.

"Good riddance," Scorpius muttered from beside him, before cursing loudly when he realised he had spoken loudly enough for Albus to hear. He smiled sheepishly and made to take a step away from him, but Albus grabbed his collar and held him tight.

"What's your problem, Scorpius?" He demanded. Several students who were milling back to the castle turned to watch the two of them curiously as Albus continued to hold on tightly to his best friend, glaring fiercely at him all the while.

"Nothing, let me go," He grumbled, trying to shove Albus away.

"No." Albus said firmly, "We're going to talk about this. We can do it someplace quieter, if you'd like."

"Or we could just not do it at all," Scorpius shrugged once he had managed to yank himself free from Albus' grip.

"That's not an option," Albus said defiantly, crossing his arms. Scorpius rolled his eyes, but he thankfully stayed put, "Look, I know you've been having a hard time lately – well, we all have – but you know what happens if you just bottle it all up. You know I'm here for you, Scor, no matter what, and you know I'm willing to talk through any of your problems, see if we can find a solution."

Scorpius scoffed, "As if you haven't been bottling things up yourself."

"What? No, I -" Albus tried to counteract him, but deep down he knew that Scorpius was right. He did have a tendency to bottle things up, thus making him a complete and utter hypocrite. He scowled.

"I mean, I haven't heard you say a word about what happened after the Third Task, or any of the attacks on Hogwarts. I know you don't want to talk about it, and I know that it's painful, but it kind of makes me feel like a terrible friend when you won't even talk to me about anything but I see you being all cosy with Angela again."

"Why do you care?" Albus spat.

"I don't," Scorpius replied, clenching and unclenching his fists at his side, "It's just – like you're constantly reminding me – we're best friends. You could have at least told me!"

"How could I?" Albus sighed. The grounds were more or less empty now, and it felt like it was just the two of them in the whole entire world, "You've been so distant lately. I miss you – how stupid is that? I see you all the damn time, but I miss you!"

Scorpius seemed to deflate at that, "I guess we've both been pretty crappy friends lately."

"Yeah," Albus nodded, considering, "But we can change that, and we can be better. We don't have to talk about all this now, not if you don't want to. I know I don't want to – and yes, that makes me a hypocrite."

"Room of Requirement?" Scorpius simply asked, raising an eyebrow. In that split second, Albus just knew everything was going to be okay. For today, at least.

"Sure," Albus grinned, and with a shared, if awkward, smile, they began to stroll back towards the castle, "I recorded a few episodes of that show you like – you know, that one set in the police precinct?"

"Nice," Scorpius responded, and together they headed into the familiar unknown.


	39. Miss Missing You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey! sorry for the delay, i started uni this week and as such life has been veeery hectic (as such i haven't had much chance to edit, i just wanted to crank this chapter out and publish it asap)
> 
> today's chapter is named after the song 'miss missing you' by fall out boy
> 
> unfortunately, apologies in advance are necessary. just remember, everything that happens happens for a reason, no matter how much you may hate that reason ;)
> 
> enjoy! (and i hope you like angst)

"Sometimes before it gets better, the darkness gets bigger; the person that you'd take a bullet for is behind the trigger"

The day that Albus' life more or less completely fell apart started off like any other normal day at Hogwarts, in that it was anything but ordinary. It was mid-June, and rain was falling in a relentless flow, turning the ceiling of the Great Hall into a dreary grey mass that bathed the room in a dull, lifeless glow, despite it being late morning.

There had been no more news about the Pureblood Knights since the masquerade ball, and though Albus was of course thankful for that, he couldn't help but feel uneasy about it all. They had already proved themselves several times to be a step ahead of the game, and Albus didn't want to assume that this silence meant anything different.

His father sent him a letter most mornings, detailing anything that had happened and ensuring that Albus and his friends got their information from him, rather than from less reputable sources. For the past few weeks, most of his letters had been about Scorpius' sister, Cassie, and how even he had come to admit that she was rather sweet. This morning's letter was about the weather, which just went to show how little Harry and the Auror's office had had to do lately. Albus wished he could do something, as he knew this wasn't the end.

For now, however, Albus and the rest of the Sixth Years all stood nervously in a row, ready for their Apparition tests.

After breakfast, the Hall had been cleared of all tables and food debris, and replaced with a series of hoops in the centre of the room, some of which were monitored by Ministry officials who all looked to be bored out of their minds, tapping absently on clipboards or discussing the dreary weather over steaming mugs of coffee.

Albus was feeling quietly and smugly confident. He had successfully Apparated for the first time during his third lesson, after what felt like hours spent turning queasily on the spot. Even Scorpius hadn't managed to Apparate until their fifth lesson. Unfortunately, Albus' victory was rather overshadowed Terrence Wood, who had at that very second managed to splinch his leg off, causing quite an uproar as students rushed over to see the gruesome scene. Albus, who was not particularly fond of the sight of blood, had decided to stay where he was, watching the scene with a sombre expression and feeling rather grumpy for once that he wasn't the centre of attention.

Today was a different story. He was quite content to sink into the background and let other students step forward to take their tests first, as he was fairly certain that that was the kind of thing that would draw their attention to him. If he was lucky, his results might even be the subject of their own article in the Daily Prophet's Sunday edition. He shuddered as he leaned back against the wall, watching the first lot of students take their tests, Rose among them, her head held up proudly and eagerly.

Scorpius stood next to him, anxiously twiddling his thumbs. He had been nervous about the test for weeks now, even though Haringey, the instructor, had assured him that he would pass on numerous occasions, always in that same bored, monotone voice, of course. It did little to make Scorpius feel better.

"Want to take the test together?" Albus asked, glancing up at him. Scorpius nodded uneasily, his face unusually pale, even for him, "We could go next, get it over and done with?"

"What?" Scorpius let out a strangled cry, "Already? No, I'm not ready. I haven't even thought about the three D's yet, let alone gone through them."

Albus listed them off, grinning at his friend's nervousness. Things were still a little awkward between the two of them after their almost-argument a few weeks before, but they had been trying. Much as he hated it, Albus didn't bottle things up as much any more, and as such Scorpius had been privy to several of his rants over the past few weeks, not that he seemed to mind much. Scorpius, on his part, had been much less irritable, and though Albus would have hated to admit it to his best friend, it did make a big difference. It eased Albus' own mind, if anything.

"Come on, it's now or never," Albus said, nudging his reluctant friend forward, "Better now than last."

Scorpius sighed, resigned, and took a step forwards, "Fine. But if I fail, I'm allowed to blame you."

"And vice versa," Albus reminded him with a smile.

"Please," Scorpius sniffed, "You're not going to fail. You basically nailed it weeks ago."

"So did you, you doofus," Albus rolled his eyes and went over to one of the many bored Ministry officials to tick his and Scorpius' names off. When another sleepy looking Ministry employee called them over, Albus reached over and squeezed Scorpius' hand briefly, "Come on, we've got this thing."

As Albus stepped forward, into one of the numerous hoops, he felt calm and collected. He could do this; of course he could. He had been doing this for weeks now. He spared a glance over to Scorpius who was a few hoops over, already beginning his test. He smiled at the effortless grace with which his friend managed to spin on the spot, directly into the next hoop. He almost managed to forget that he was supposed to be taking the test himself.

"Mr. Potter?" His examiner, a stern sounding woman, cleared her throat, jolting him back to the present. Her lips were pursed in a thin, disapproving line as she gestured to the hoop at his right, "If you would like to demonstrate your skill by Apparating into this hoop."

"Oh. Right. Sure," Taking one more covert look at his friend, just to make sure he was doing the right thing, he spun on the spot, but his brain was all muddled up and he couldn't remember a single one of the three Ds, and so he simply fell to the floor in a tangle of limbs and confusion.

"I think I've seen enough." The woman said, her lips pursed somehow even more tightly.

Albus, cheeks burning at the muffled laughter from behind him, clambered back to his feet, "No! I'm sorry, I… I totally lost focus, somehow. Um, can we do it one more time?"

"If you insist," The woman said, frowning. Albus could feel the eyes of most of the students in the Hall on him, doing nothing to improve his focus.

"Good luck, you've got this," Scorpius whispered as he brushed past him, grinning from ear to ear having just passed his own test with absolute ease. He held both thumbs up as he joined Rose at the back of the Hall, and Albus' brain simply went haywire.

"In your own time," The woman said in a sarcastic tone of voice, sucking on her pen as she watched him with eager, curious eyes. Albus blinked once, twice, and forced himself to focus on the task at hand. But which came first? Determination, or destination? Was there even really a third one? Was it really all that necessary?

"I'm sorry, Mr. Potter, we have to move on," The woman sounded a little more sympathetic as Albus bowed his head and nodded slightly in resignation. Clearly today just wasn't his day, "We run tests weekly in the summer, you're welcome to come along."

"Yeah, sure, whatever" Albus mumbled as he turned around, intending to head directly out of the Hall. He didn't dare look up for fear of all those accusing, mocking eyes. He wondered what his father would say; as far as he knew, all of his cousins had passed their test on the first try. It was as he had always feared. He really was a let down. He couldn't possibly belong to his family when he was so terrifically terrible at everything.

"Hey, you alright?" He was intercepted in the doorway by Scorpius, who touched his shoulder lightly and directed him away from all of the prying eyes. Inexplicably, Albus found himself welling up, shedding tears that had been trying to fall for several minutes now.

"Oh yeah, I'm just dandy," He muttered, scrubbing at his eyes with the sleeve of his robes. He hadn't even bothered bringing his usual packet of tissues with him, he was so certain that he was going to pass. Silently, Scorpius handed him a handkerchief, which he accepted hesitantly, "I'm not usually the one who needs the tissues."

"Sometimes it's good to switch things up a little," Scorpius said, shrugging. Albus almost glared at him, but he resisted the temptation, "I'm sorry. This must suck. You… Wanna talk about it?"

"No," Albus said, blowing his nose, "It's just… I was so certain I was going to pass. I've done it so many times before, it had almost become second nature. I guess I was just having a bad day and I froze under pressure. Whatever."

"It happens to the best of us," Scorpius said soothingly, "And you'll always be able to retake. Plenty of people don't pass on their first try. You'll get there eventually, I'm sure."

"Yeah..." Albus trailed off, thinking, "I just feel like such a let down, you know? Like, I was so sure about passing, and I made sure my family all knew it. And now I look like a fool, and they're going to think I'm an idiotic Slytherin loser even more than they did before."

"No, they won't think that, I'm sure -" Scorpius was cut off by the cackling laughter of Sean, Terrence, and Hasnain, who were swaggering over with triumphant grins on their faces, obviously having just completed their own tests.

"Look who it is!" Sean shouted, drawing most people's attention their way as the three Gryffindors continued to walk towards the two of them, "Saint Potter, who can't even pass his Apparition test!"

Albus blushed a deep crimson colour and hurried to shove the handkerchief back into his pocket, but it was too late.

"Are you crying?" Sean laughed, holding onto Terrence for support, "How pathetic! What's your father going to think?"

"He'll probably be proud that his son's not a pompous git, unlike you," Scorpius retaliated in a scalding tone of voice.

"Or disappointed that he failed to pass the most piss easy test I have ever taken in my life?" Sean responded, smiling smugly, "Oh no, did I make Saint Potter cry again?"

"Just leave me alone," Albus said, pushing past them blindly, with only one destination in mind: the Room of Requirement, "That means you too, Scorpius."

After a little while, the sounds of laughter and footsteps faded behind him. He felt like he could explode at any minute, but he settled for storming straight to the Room of Requirement and lying down on the sofa, crying himself hoarse until he could hardly breathe for the tears choking in his throat. The flow of tears eventually stilled, and he felt a little better. He just needed some time by himself, to think things through.

He was going to be alright. He could take the test again, and he knew his father would be supportive of him no matter what. What other people thought didn't matter.

Unfortunately, his bad day was only just beginning.

* * *

Later that afternoon, once Albus had calmed down enough that the signs of tears were no longer loudly displayed across his face, and he had a long nap, he realised that he was starving, his stomach a gnawing hole of hunger inside him.

The burning shame and embarrassment he had been subject to had more or less dissipated, and he felt once more that he could face his classmates and peers without simply breaking down all over again. He wondered absently if anyone had been looking for him, but laughed that thought off as he headed down to the Great Hall, steeling himself for what was to come.

He was expecting the odd look, the odd snicker, as he entered the Hall, but he was certainly not expecting three hundred pairs of eyes to fly to his, nor was he expecting the students to begin whispering amongst themselves, glancing obviously in his direction as he strolled as casually as possible towards his friends, who were huddled together around the Slytherin table, deep in conversation. They barely even noticed him when he sat down.

Albus had only gone to the Room of Requirement to escape the prying eyes, the laughter, and the sometimes sympathetic gazes of his classmates, and he rather wished he had stayed there, or had gone to the kitchens instead.

"Um, what's going on?" He asked, tapping Rose lightly on the shoulder.

"Oh, Al, there you are!" Rose's voice was clearly forced as she grinned widely and unconvincingly. All of his other friends nudged and glanced at each other, and none of them seemed willing to look Albus in the eye.

"Rose… What's going on?" Albus demanded more forcefully this time, taking a seat and narrowing his eyes in his cousin's direction.

"Nothing!" She insisted breezily, "Nothing you need to worry about, at least."

"Are you sure?" Albus looked back across the room, just in time for hundreds of pairs of curious eyes to dart away slightly too slowly, "I feel like a First Year again. Surely all this isn't because I failed my test, right?"

"Right…" Rose trailed off, biting her lip. She looked pointedly in Stella and Marcus' direction, but the two simply shrugged.

"Rose, what happened? Where's Scorpius?" Albus had realised almost immediately that his best friend was nowhere in sight, and somehow that rather worried him. He had half expected him to come to find him in the Room of Requirement, but such a thing had never happened. That stung more that he would have cared to admit.

"Albus, listen to me. Promise me you won't go looking for Scorpius right now. He needs some time alone." Her expression was softer, sadder, like something bad really had happened to Scorpius.

"What's wrong? Is it the baby? Are his parents alright?" He felt a stab of fear through his stomach - of course he couldn't assume that everything was alright, how foolishly naïve of him to even think - "They're fine!" Rose patted him on the shoulder, her eyes brimming with sympathy and something Albus couldn't quite understand, "Trust me. This is something different, something completely unrelated."

"Well, what is it?"

"I..." Rose paused, frowning, "I don't know if it's my place to tell you."

Suddenly, someone walked past Rose and Albus and wolf-whistled, nudging him rather forcefully so that he nearly fell of his chair.

"Hey, what the hell?" Albus started, rising out of his chair having steadied himself. Rose grabbed his arm and pulled him forcefully back down, "Rose. You're going to tell me what's going on."

Rose sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of her nose, "Lily's in the Slytherin common room, she might be able to explain it better than I can. Just… Be careful, alright?"

"I don't understand… So I really did miss something?"

"Yes," Rose let the word out slowly, reluctantly, "And I can't tell you about it. Seriously - I'm more or less sworn to absolute secrecy. Which is quite difficult now... Listen, you need to hear it for yourself."

"Right," Albus said, clambering back to his feet and ignoring the unease in his stomach and the sensation of hundreds of eyes at his back, "Guess I'll go find Lily… See you later, then."

The walk back to the Slytherin common room was long and awkward, and for some unfathomable reason Albus found himself dreading what was to come, despite knowing absolutely nothing about what had happened or what was going to happen once he had found Lily.

Thankfully, she wasn't hard to find, sitting moodily in an armchair as her friends laughed and chatted amongst themselves around her. The seconds she spotted Albus coming through the door, she leapt to her feet and intercepted him, though not soon enough for anybody in the room to notice he was there and begin gossiping loudly and less than surreptitiously.

"Albus, have you heard anything?" She hissed, pulling him into a corner and ensuring that they were alone. She even pulled out her wand, presumably to cast a Muffliato spell, but then she decided against it.

"Of what? I have no idea what's happening! I go to the Great Hall and suddenly everybody's talking about me as if it's First Year all over again or something." Albus crossed his arms in sheer frustration and leaned against the wall, "Rose told me to find you."

"I'm not sure what I can do but…" Lily paused, fixing her older brother with an intent stare, "I was there, I saw what went down and… Things are going to be tricky, but -"

"Lily, what happened?" Albus interrupted, not even caring if he was being rude. He just couldn't understand why everybody was being so vague.

"I…" Lily winced slightly, "I can't tell you. I mean I could, but then it might make everything worse, and you know I would really hate to think I was making anything worse, and also this isn't something you should hear from me because it really just isn't my place."

"So… What should I do?" Albus asked, his mind whirring as he tried frantically to process Lily's babbling.

"I'd say you should talk to Scorpius but…" She paused, considering, "I don't know, I'm not sure if he'd want to talk to you right now. Everything's so complicated."

"Where is he?' Albus asked, "Lily, please. He's my best friend. If he's hurting, or whatever, then I should be the one to help make things right."

"He's… He's upstairs," Lily admitted, as Albus began to head for the stairwell, "Just - I don't know what he's going to say or how he's going to react. Be careful."

"Yeah, everyone's always telling me that," Albus muttered to himself as he leapt up the stairs two at a time, the whispers definitely getting louder behind him. Whatever the hell had happened, whatever the hell he had missed by being sad and selfish enough to spend the day all by himself, he just hoped his best friend was alright.

Upon first glance, the dorm room was empty, exactly as Albus had left it that morning when he hurried down to breakfast. His socks were still strewn across the floor, and his bed was unmade; the House Elves didn't have to work weekends anymore. He took a careful step forward, and it soon became apparent that not everything was as it seemed.

Distantly, he registered the sounds of what could have been sobbing, and rounds on the bed that Scorpius had claimed as his own, the drapes shut tightly around it. He took a deep breath, his hands fidgeting restlessly at his side.

"Scorpius?" He asked softly, careful to keep his voice down so as not to startle him. No response.

"Scorpius, I know you're in here," Albus continued, taking another small step towards the bed. Still nothing, except perhaps a stifled sob.

"Mate, look, I don't know what happened today - I was in the Room of Requirement all day, and I only just went down for dinner - but I'm really worried about you. Rose and Lily too. But whatever happened, you know you can talk to me about it, right? You know I'm here for you no matter what."

A few moments of pregnant silence, and then -

"Go away," It was nothing more than a slight croak, but it was something at least.

“No,” Albus said adamantly, “Come on, I just want to talk.”

“I don’t want to talk.” 

Albus took another step forwards and stretched his arm out, his fingers brushing the curtains, “Please.”

“Fuck off.” The words were harsh and unforgiving. Albus flinched slightly, his hands brushing back the fabric slightly. Inside, he caught a glimpse of a wide pair of red-rimmed grey eyes staring back at him in horror before the drapes are promptly closed once again.

“Scorpius, please, if it’s something I’ve done, just tell me.” Albus was almost pleading.

“I said fuck off.”

Feeling inexplicable tears begin to well in his eyes, Albus yanked the curtains back forcefully, to find a completely pitiable sight inside. His best friend looked lost, broken even, and Albus couldn’t for the life of him think why. He wanted nothing more than to take Scorpius in his arms and rock him gently and tell him that everything was going to be alright, just you wait and see, but from the look on Scorpius’ face it’s clear that he wanted nothing more than for Albus to go the hell away.

“I’m not going anywhere until you tell me exactly what happened that put you in this state.” Albus said as Scorpius scrambled to his feet, rubbing at his eyes, and began to pace around the room.

“What the hell do you want me to say?” Scorpius demanded, his fists clenching and unclenching at his sides. He was unravelling, that much was clear. Fairly soon Albus was scared that there would be none of him left.

“Fine,” Albus said, sighing, “Just say whatever. I’m listening.”

Scorpius paused at that, turning to regard Albus with a pained expression, “I don’t think we should be friends anymore.”

And that was that. Albus’ world shattered around him, the memories of those two years of friendship that had without a shadow of a doubt been the best two years of his life. They were over?

“What?” Albus asked, his voice cracking.

“I just...” Scorpius took a deep breath and resumed his pacing. His words were spilling like poison from his lips and Albus couldn’t stop listening, “I can’t do this anymore. It’s too hard. You… You’ve ruined everything. Ruined my life. Don’t ask me to explain myself because I won’t, not anymore. And certainly not for you.”

Albus turned to face him, forcing himself to look him in the eyes. It was the most difficult thing he had ever done, not to shy away from the pain and anger and sadness that he saw in them. He could barely even comprehend just what the hell was happening, but one thing was certain: Nothing was going to be the same again, not without Scorpius there.

“I don’t understand.”

“I wouldn’t expect you to,” Scorpius sneered in response. Albus felt like his knees were going to give way underneath him at any moment.

“Fine,” Albus threw his arms up in frustration, “If that’s how you really feel, then so be it.”

“That is how I really feel,” Scorpius said, narrowing his eyes.

“You’d better get out, then,” Albus said, picking up a half read book of Scorpius’ from the floor and throwing it as hard as he can at his chest. It landed with a satisfying thud, knocking Scorpius back several inches.

“And if you really want to know what happened...” Scorpius trailed off as he grabbed the book back and shoved it into his bag, along with several of his other belongings that had begun to gather in the room. Albus couldn’t help but feel that it was just an attempt to avoid eye contact.

“Well?”

“Well, I just want you to know that any rumours you hear over the next few days, they aren’t true. I didn’t run away for the reason people probably thought I ran away. I ran away because… Because I was disgusted, alright? I was horrified, and it made me realise that this,” He gestured about him, “is wrong and I had to put a stop to it before it was too late. Before people went getting the wrong ideas.”

With that, he strode to the door. This was it, then.

“I don’t get it,” Albus said desperately, taking a futile step towards the person he had believed was his best friend, the person he could trust with his entire life and heart, “Why now? Why not tell me sooner? You were my best friend, dammit! Do you even know what that means? Do you even know how much you mean to me? Why wait until you were the single most important person in my life to just destroy it completely?”

Scorpius froze, his fingers on the handle, “I’ll let you figure that one out on your own. Goodbye, Albus. For good.”

The second Scorpius was gone, Albus lashed out and punched the wall, directing all of his anger and frustration and hurt into it. Somehow, his wandless magic decided to add itself into the myriad of emotions and he found himself making a noticeably dent in the stone wall. It hurt, more than anything he had ever felt before, even more than the pain of losing his best friend, and so he kept punching the wall, punching and punching until his knuckles couldn’t take it any more, until he slid down the wall and sobbed into his bruised and bloody hands.

It was as if all of the emotions that he had kept bottled up for so long for Scorpius’ sake because honestly, nothing meant a damn thing anymore.

Eventually he fell asleep on the floor, shaking in frustration and anger and desperation, not even bothering to go back to his own bed, because it wasn’t the same if he knew there was no possibility of Scorpius ever joining him there again.

He had always thought that there was a possibility that Scorpius might leave him one day, or might just one day no longer be there, but he had never imagined it could hurt so much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay, i understand that you all probably hate me now, and i kind of hate myself too. i never wanted to be the bad guy, and i even considered just.... not including this, but this was always going to happen, ever since the very first draft i wrote back in 2014, and to not include it would just feel false, somehow. hopefully you'll understand why things happened this way in the next chapter (which is from lily's pov, but includes the event that triggered all of this, as well as a good insight into scorpius' reasoning. i hope you stay tuned, despite any hatred or pain i may have caused)


	40. Emergency

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know i only posted yesterday, but... i couldn't keep you waiting!
> 
> today's interlude (which is from lily's POV, by the way) is named after the song 'emergency' by paramore. i would say enjoy, but... (sorry)
> 
> (and remember, you can follow me on tumblr @buzzybeewrites or on twitter @buzzybeeforever)

"I've seen love die way too many times, when it deserved to be alive"

Lily Potter wasn’t sure why or how she ended up in the Slytherin common room on that particular Saturday afternoon that everything turned to shit, but she had had a feeling in her gut, like she was supposed to be there. It wasn’t like her to believe in fate, or destiny, or anything like that; actually, it was probably because she hadn’t hung out with her Slytherin friends for a while, but she wasn’t sure she could have lived with herself if she hadn’t been there to witness what had happened.

So there she was, chatting mindlessly to her friends about all the homework they should have been doing, and who liked who, when suddenly Mairi stormed in, her cheeks bright red, looking livid. Scorpius, who was with Stella and Marcus in a corner of the room playing Wizard’s chess, spotted her immediately and sank back down into his chair, a look of horror on his face.

Lily rolled her eyes. The poor Ravenclaw girl had clearly been hopelessly in love with him for months now, and the idiot hadn’t had the heart to tell her that he really, really wasn’t interested. She had always thought that being older was supposed to mean being wiser, but far too often she found herself feeling oddly smug at her cousin and friend’s idiocy. There was always Stella and Marcus of course, who thankfully and reassuringly seemed to have everything figured out.

Spotting him at last, Mairi marched over to him and his friends, tugging angrily at her plaits. Scorpius tried to back down further into his seat, but with an expression like thunder Mairi grabbed onto his shoulder and pulled him up onto his feet, in a surprising display of strength.

“Where were you?” She demanded, placing her hands on her hips. Lily couldn’t help but wince at her tone of voice.

“What do you mean?” Scorpius responded, his expression blank. Heads were beginning to turn towards the two of them, and Lily just prayed fervently that things wouldn’t escalate any further.

“You said you’d meet me outside at lunch, just the two of us -” She began, shaking her head.

“Did I?” He asked, which Lily considered to be a spectacularly terrible move.

“Yes.” Mairi replied coldly, “We were going to walk around the grounds for a little while, just the two of us. And then I thought maybe I’d gotten the times wrong, so I waited out there for hours, until one of Albus’ cousins came up to me and told me you were looking for him!”

“Um...” Scorpius looked to be at a complete loss for words. Barely pausing for breath, Mairi simply continued her tirade.

“And he said it so loudly that everyone around me started sniggering – do you know how embarrassing that is? Do you know how stupid you’ve made me look? You’re supposed to be my boyfriend, you know, and though you’ve never acted like it, it does actually mean something, you know?”

“I’m not your boyfriend,” Scorpius mumbled, but the room had become so silent that Lily had no difficulty hearing. She almost – almost – felt sorry for Mairi.

“Excuse me?” Mairi asked, her face falling.

“I never said I was your boyfriend!” Scorpius shouted, as if something inside of him had just snapped, “I’ve never done anything to make you even think that! I don’t even like you that much – you just seem incapable of accepting that I won’t like you back, that I never will. No matter how many dates you organise or how many times you tag along when I never even wanted you to. It needs to stop.”

For a few moments there was nothing but silence as the room tried to comprehend what was happening. Mairi started crying, the tears spilling freely down her cheeks. It was what needed to be said, but Lily didn’t doubt that Scorpius felt incredibly bad in that moment.

“I love you!” She practically screamed, “Or at least, I did. I never understood why you don’t… I’ve tried so hard and I keep getting let down, so I kept trying harder because I was so sure that one day I might be able to get through to you, that maybe you’d reciprocate. What is it, huh? Am I… Not pretty enough? Not smart enough?”

“I’m in love with someone else!” Scorpius yelled. His entire body was shaking, though whether with anger or frustration or fear at what he had just revealed, Lily wasn’t sure. Either way, everything had just changed.

“You love… Someone else...” She looked utterly defeated as she continued, “I always thought that might be a possibility but I never considered...”

Lily was watching her closely, and couldn’t fail to notice the subtle change in her expression, like sudden clarity, like a lightbulb had just gone off in her head. She raised her head in shock, taking a step back as if stung.

“Merlin...” She breathed, “You’re always, _always_ with Albus Potter. And when we’re together, he’s all you ever talk about. You say he’s your best friend but, Scorpius, you’re in love with him, aren’t you?”

Scorpius’ cheeks immediately turning bright scarlet was all anybody needed to realise that Mairi was speaking the truth. Whispers rose up across the room, and it took everything in Lily’s power not to tell them to shut up, to give Scorpius his privacy. For a second, their eyes met, and the pain and sadness that Lily saw in there almost broke her heart.

Lily rose to her feet, but Scorpius shook his head subtly in her direction before shoving blindly past Mairi and racing up the stairs as the whispers increased in volume behind him. When her friends began speculating, she fixed them with a glare, and in seconds they fell silent once more. Something was going to happen between Scorpius and Albus, at last. She just hoped that Scorpius had it in him to tell the truth about how he felt, once and for all.

When Albus arrived not too long after, it was clear that news and rumours of the argument had spread throughout the school, though Albus didn’t seem to know a thing. Begrudgingly, she informed him that Scorpius was upstairs, and then she waited with bated breath, hardly daring to consider the possibilities.

In the end, it was exactly as she had anticipated, though it wasn’t at all what she had wanted. When Scorpius came flying down the stairs, looking a terrible state with his crumpled clothes and red, puffy face, Lily intercepted him, pulling him gently out into the corridor in order to avoid the overly keen eyes of the other students.

“What happened?” She asked, though really there was no need. His expression told her everything she didn’t want to know.

“I panicked, alright?” Scorpius sighed and made to punch the wall, but Lily managed to grab him just in time.

“Deep breaths, alright?” She said, holding his fist in her hands, “What did you say?”

“I told him that I don’t want to be friends anymore.” He said, his voice dull and monotone.

“You did what?’ Lily couldn’t help but shrieking, even though she knew it would do little to help the situation.

“I’m sorry, Lily. I tried to be brave, I really did, but I was so, so scared. I told him that any rumours he hears aren’t true and… Maybe it’s for the best.” Scorpius shook his head, resigned.

“How is any of this for the best?’ Lily demanded, letting his hand drop back to his side. She couldn’t believe this.

“Because if he really doesn’t like me back then that would be so much worse, don’t you see?” Scorpius broke down crying all over again, and much as it pained her to see it, she could no longer summon up much sympathy.

“How could any of this be any worse?” Lily asked, to no response but continued sobbing, “Look, I’m sorry, Scorpius, really, I am. But you fucked up what could have been a beautiful thing, and if you think Albus is going to forgive you easily once this all dies down, then you’re wrong.”

“Thanks,” Scorpius replied, his tone dripping with sarcasm, “Like this day couldn’t get any worse.”

Without another word, he turned and strode off down the corridor, his shoulders shaking visibly as he went. Lily almost wanted to cry herself, in sheer frustration at the idiocy and pigheadedness of those around her.

As she returned to her own dorm, she knew there had to be something she could do. She and Rose would find a way to bring them back together, before it was too late and things were damaged irreparably, perhaps even worse than they had been today. She knew, however, that it would be no easy task.


	41. Flesh without Blood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello! today's chapter is named after the song 'flesh without blood' by grimes, which coincidentally enough was the original name of this fic (simply because it was the song i was listening to when i started writing it, and i'm unimaginative like that) enjoy!
> 
> apologies again for the lateness! i meant to publish it on sunday, but there were extenuating circumstances (including the biggest hangover of my life, writer's block, and managing to spill water all over my laptop). however, i was determined to get this out, and so i did! let me know what you think :)
> 
> a lot of this chapter is simply getting from a to b, but i think it turned out alright in the end...

"You had every chance, you destroy everything that you know"

Over the next few days, from gossip overheard in the halls of Hogwarts to what Stella and Marcus grudgingly told him, Albus was able to piece together the truth, though he knew that it wasn't really the truth; it was just people's presumptions, and he really wasn't sure how he felt about that. Stares and whispers still hounded him wherever he went, and he got the feeling that they wouldn't die down for a very long while.

He wasn't sure which version of the truth would be better, or which would hurt less. Part of him even began to wish he had never bothered befriending Scorpius in the first place, as none of this would ever have happened. It had, though, and he was just going to have to get used to that fact.

Albus couldn't help but feel that even if the rumours were true, everything would have been alright in the end. He wasn't entirely sure that he could reciprocate the feelings – had never even considered such a thing – but at least Scorpius would still be there. At least things might have made a little more sense.

Instead, he was alone again.

He felt as if everything had been ripped from him; every ounce of hope, every happy, care-free memory. It felt like ties that had bound him together had been torn apart, that bonds that ran deeper than blood had been severed. He had never expected to feel like this, but then again he had never expected anything like this to ever happen in the first place.

He had other friends, of course, but after nearly two years of Scorpius being his best friend and only confidant, the person with whom he spent the majority of his time, he found that talking to his other friends had become rather awkward and stilted, and it was clear that they were all just desperate to know what Albus' take on the whole situation was. He could have screamed in frustration any time any single one of them opened their mouths, just because they weren't Scorpius and they didn't understand, they didn't get him anymore.

Albus wasn't sure what to do with himself. Usually he would pass his time in the library or outside with Scorpius and Rose, but now he found himself wandering the castle like a lost ghost, wondering if exhaustion could shake the anger and sadness out of him once and for all. As it was, the anger continued to simmer within him, and he was afraid that at any moment, the slightest thing could cause it to reach boiling point.

Scorpius was ignoring him entirely, but that was fine. Albus had nothing to say to him that wasn't desperate pleading and he's certain that Scorpius would never want to hear it anyway. His former best friend seemed to have developed something of a sixth sense for detecting whenever he was close, and it was far too often that seeing a shock of blonde hair rush past reminded him of the times they had spent together, of the times Scorpius had saved him from the bullies and solidified their friendship, only for it all to come to this.

Albus found himself rather lonely in lessons, as Scorpius sat broodingly at the back of every class and refused to sit with him or even look at him. He always arrived the second the bell went, and vanished the second the teacher dismissed the class. He was never seen in the Great Hall at mealtimes anymore, except perhaps to grab a slice of toast on occasion or to collect his post.

Occasionally, Albus could have sworn he saw Rose and Scorpius together in the corridor, arguing fiercely amongst themselves, but they always seemed to vanish from sight the second Albus turned to get a better look.

Rose was not making things easy. She obviously didn't like that he and Scorpius were no longer speaking, and she made that abundantly clear on the one occasion that Albus managed to corner her in a library, after a hellish and achingly lonely week.

Albus had been searching for a Herbology book for his homework when he had spotted Rose in the Transfiguration section, deep in concentration and sucking absentmindedly on her quill. Without a second's hesitation, Albus sat himself down in front of her and pulled the quill from her mouth.

"Albus, what are you - ?" She complained, yanking her quill back from Albus' hands.

"You've been avoiding me," He said, fixing her with a glare. Sighing, Rose closed her book with a loud thud that sent other students peering nosily their way.

"Yes, I've been avoiding you," She said simply, nodding in the most infuriating way Albus could imagine.

"Why?" Albus asked. He frowned; somehow the admission stung rather a lot.

"Because I hate seeing you so mopey," She began, listing the reasons off on her fingers as she went, "because if you can't talk to Scorpius and Scorpius can't talk to you then why should I bother talking to either of you, because this whole situation is stupid and I want no part of it. Oh – and because you both need to pull your heads out of your arses."

"Thanks for the sympathy," Albus grumbled.

"If you wanted sympathy, then you came to the wrong person," Rose said, opening her book once more and staring intently at the page for several seconds before sighing once more and sweeping it into her bag with her other things.

"Rose, please – I don't know what to do. I've tried talking to Scorpius but he's having none of it. Perhaps it would be best if I just left him alone."

Her expression softened slightly for a brief second before she responded, "Look, Albus, I'm sorry. Really, I am. What Scorpius did was horrible, and I'm having a very hard time thinking kindly of him right now. But until you make up – and you will, or else – then I don't think I can be around either of you."

"What if he doesn't want to make up?" Albus asked, grimacing as he felt tears welling unbidden in his eyes.

"Then he doesn't want to make up," Rose said gently, patting Albus' hand, "Just remember, you're the one who's in the right here. Scorpius had no right to say those things to you."

"Wait," Albus said, "How do you know what Scorpius said to me? You've been avoiding me all week!"

Rose's face fell, her eyes widening, "Oh, would you look at the time – I'd better be off."

"Rose, what aren't you telling me?" Albus said in almost a growl.

"Alright, I may have talked to him a few times but only to try and tell him how stupid he's being. Just give it a while, he'll come around," And with that, she was gone, strolling down the lines of shelves with her head held high and a parting, "Be nice!"

* * *

Lily wasn't much better, but at least she was willing to actually talk to him.

After it became abundantly clear that neither Scorpius nor Rose were going to talk to him, and that his own friends were too distracted by their own lives to care about his if it wasn't within any gossiping capacity, he had begun hanging out with Lily and his friends.

It made him feel somewhat pathetic, not just to be hanging out with people two years younger than himself but to be hanging out with his sister, but it was infinitely better than the lonely hours he had spent in the first few days after Scorpius had left.

For the first few days after the argument, Albus could have sworn he also saw Lily and Scorpius arguing on the corridor several times, but after that, they seemed as distant as he and Scorpius now did. The small smile Lily gave him the first time she strolled past Scorpius in the corridor, blanking him completely, made him feel better than he ever could have imagined.

"He's an idiot," Lily told him many times in the following weeks, "He's an idiot and you don't deserve him."

"I just don't understand," Albus said forlornly after two agonising weeks of being alone, "We were best friends. He meant practically everything to me. Why would he do that?"

Lily frowned from across the table where they were studying in the Hufflepuff common room, "I don't understand either, Al. Not really. I mean, I'm sure he has his reasons -"

"What sort of reasons could there be?" Albus asked. Lily sighed; this was a conversation they had had many a time over the past few weeks, but Albus couldn't help that there was almost nothing else on his mind. Luckily, Lily hadn't become too frustrated with him. Yet.

"I don't know, bro," She said, smiling sadly up at him and brushing a strand of ginger hair from her face, "Like I said, I'm sure he has reasons, even if they may not make sense to you. Like, I don't know, did you do anything to make him upset? Did you fall out at all before it happened?"

"I mean..." Albus froze, recalling the awkwardness that had been apparent between them in the weeks, or maybe even months, before everything had gone to shit, "Yeah, we did. We both agreed we'd been shitty friends but we also agreed to work on, to talk to each other and work things out. Maybe he felt I didn't fill out my end of the bargain, I don't know. I just wish things could go back to the way they were before."

"Me too," Lily agreed with a nod, "He was my friend, too. Not my best friend, of course, but – I'm too mad to even try talking to him now."

"It's good to have someone on my side," Albus said, grinning. Lily glared back at him in that disapproving, sisterly way of hers.

"Anyway," Lily said, slamming her book shut with a decided air and fixing Albus with an intent gaze, her chin resting on her hand, "Have you considered... The rumours being true, maybe?"

Albus just shrugged; yes, he had considered it. But Scorpius had said what he had said, and that was that. Even if he had lied, to protect himself or to hide his true feelings or whatever, the things he had said had still torn Albus apart, and there was no getting away from that. He wasn't even sure if he could ever forgive Scorpius, no matter if he begged for it.

"I guess," He responded vaguely. When Lily continued watching him expectantly, he carried on, "But they obviously aren't true, are they? If he did feel… That way… Why would he say such hurtful things?"

"Maybe he was just scared," Lily suggested.

"No," Albus said with absolute certainty, 'If he knew me at all, he'd know that we'd work something out, somehow. I don't know. You're making my brain hurt."

"Such is always my intention," Lily said, grinning goofily at him. Albus resisted the urge to shove her out of her chair, as he was never quite certain when or how she would respond, but it was usually with a well-timed jinx or, if he was particularly unlucky, a bat bogey hex.

"I hate you," He said instead.

"Feeling's mutual." She replied, "Now go away. You're making me and my friends look uncool."

"You wish," Albus snorted, getting to his feet, not quite sure if he was ready for another night spent moping around the Slytherin common room while people watched him curiously and Marcus and Stella tried to give him advice in between vigorous and frankly disturbing bouts of making out.

* * *

At long last, and with agonising slowness, the school year came to a close. For a little while, Albus had been beyond ready to get home and away from Hogwarts, away from all of the prying eyes and gossip and Scorpius. But then he inevitably remembered that Scorpius and his family lived with him now, and suddenly the idea of summer seemed a lot more daunting.

As the school sat at their respective House tables in the Great Hall, ready for one last speech from Shacklebolt, Albus couldn't stop his eyes from searching Scorpius out across the room. He jolted involuntarily as he caught sight of two startlingly grey eyes piercing his from across the room. Scorpius scowled as their eyes met and looked away, quite obviously disgusted. Albus continued to watch him for a moment or two, until Shacklebolt stood at the front of the Hall and cleared his throat, but he didn't look back. Albus wasn't sure if he wanted him to.

"Good evening, everybody," Shacklebolt began. Almost regretfully, Albus tore his eyes away from Scorpius to focus on the Headmaster, who was as resplendent as always in deep burgundy robes as he continued with his speech, "It appears we've made it to the end of another – if difficult – year. I just want to thank you all for your amazing displays of solidarity and courage throughout the year."

At his words, the Hall exploded in cheers and applause. At a nudge from Marcus beside him, Albus clapped a few times, though he made his lack of enthusiasm clear. The school year had in fact been pretty damn horrendous, from the Pureblood Knight attacks to everything that had happened recently with Scorpius. For possibly the first time in his six years at Hogwarts, Albus couldn't wait to leave, even if he didn't much want to return home, either.

"Thanks are again in order to our Triwizard Champion," Shacklebolt gestured over to the Gryffindor table, and Albus couldn't help but grimace as the students began to cheer, "As such, I suppose it will come as no surprise to announce that Gryffindor are this year's winner of the House Cup!"

The sounds of clapping and celebration were almost deafening as the decorations in the hall turned scarlet and gold. A cold, cynical part of Albus couldn't help but feel smug that Scorpius wasn't joining in the celebrations; rather, he was sitting there moodily, staring down at the table, as the Weasleys around him shouted and hugged each other. Albus also couldn't help but notice that Rose was giving him a wide berth, and as she and Hugo high-fived each other, Albus considered just how much things had changed over the past few weeks and how shit they had become, and how nothing was ever going to be the same again, and how he had actually rather liked things the way they were.

"Now, the moment you've probably all been waiting for," Shacklebolt said once the clamour had died down. He flourished his hands, and the typical, over-exuberant end of year feast appeared on the table, "To our Seventh Years, we wish you the best of luck in your future endeavours. To everyone else, we look forward to seeing you in September. Now, eat, drink, and be merry!"

Fat chance of that, Albus thought, snorting, as he tucked unenthusiastically into his meal. The thought of going home tomorrow, of having to actually share a house with Scorpius, was causing him a great deal of anxiety and panic, and it was hard to focus on anything else. Maybe things wouldn't be so bad, maybe they'd be able to form some sort of impasse. He wouldn't know until tomorrow, however, and that terrified him.

* * *

On the Hogwarts Express the next morning, Albus stared gloomily out of the window at the dramatic and equally gloomy Scottish landscape, as his friends laughed and chatted happily amongst themselves. A few minutes into the journey, Albus had realised just how much he had been neglecting his friends over the past few months, and now he felt like he hardly knew them at all.

He felt terrible for it, but Scorpius and the things that had happened to him had taken up so much of his time lately that he had almost completely deserted them. He was a horrible friend, no doubt about it, but they still let him sit with them in the compartment, and for that he was grateful. Tearing his eyes reluctantly away from the rolling hills, Albus turned to face them, taking a deep breath to calm himself.

"So," He said, "Anyone up for a game of exploding snap?"

"Do you even need to ask?" Marcus said, grinning as he pulled a pack out of his bag. In minutes, the cards had been dealt and everyone was laughing and talking with ease, Albus included. He realised with a start just how much he had missed them all. He missed Marcus' easy sense of humour, and Stella's bright and constantly upbeat attitude. He missed Kofi and Astrid, who had always had time for him even if they were with one another. He missed Haruko, and the way she always had her nose stuck in a book, even during a game of exploding snap. Jasper was notably absent, but it was clear that no one had forgiven him for what he had done to Stella.

"Guys," Albus began awkwardly, clearing his throat, "I just want to apologise. I feel like I've been a terrible friend lately and I hope we can go back to the way things were before, when we all used to hang out. These past few weeks have been pretty lonely..."

Astrid opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again when Kofi nudged her. Frowning at him, she began again, "Apology accepted,"

"Yeah, definitely," Kofi agreed, "The last few months can't have been easy, so I don't think anyone here blames you in the slightest."

"It's just good to have you back," Stella said, grinning, "I've missed your witty banter and self-deprecating jokes."

"That makes one of us," Marcus said with a laugh, "But seriously, mate. Kofi's right, the last few months have been shit. But you're here now, and we're going to have a good time."

"Thank you," Albus said, an easy smile on his face. He felt so overwhelmed by their kindness that it was hard to keep the tears from welling up in his eyes, "So, you guys busy at all this summer?"

For the next half an hour or so they discussed their holiday plans as they continued to play snap, and for the first time in what was probably quite a long time, Albus felt happy and at peace. Of course, like all good things, it came rapidly to an end.

Astrid had been practically bouncing in her seat ever since Kofi had nudged her, and after a while, she burst out with, "So, what happened between you and Scorpius? Are the rumours true?"

Everyone turned to glare at her, but from the subtle glances in Albus' direction, he knew that they wanted to know the answers just as desperately.

"I don't want to talk about it." Albus said stubbornly as he slammed a card down. Unexpectedly, it blew up right in his face, and he swore loudly, jumping to his feet.

"I'm sorry, it wasn't right of me to ask, I should've just kept my mouth shut," Astrid blushed, her entire face turning a deep shade of red.

"Yeah, you should've," Albus replied bitterly, before slamming his way noisily out of the compartment, rubbing the soot from his face and resisting the very strong urge to kick someone or something.

Thankfully, after a few moments spent idly wandering the corridors, he came across a compartment full of redheads. Somewhat emptier than it would have been a few years previously, it still contained enough of his cousins that he could see himself spending an enjoyable few hours in there, especially as Rose and Lily were among them. Albus hadn't seen Scorpius during his little expedition, but it wasn't as if he was looking for him. Of course not.

"Well, would you look who it is!" Lily exclaimed as Albus entered the compartment, grinning awkwardly, and grabbed hold of his hand to drag him inside, "Come on, we just pretty much bought out the snack trolley."

"Good," Albus said, feeling his stomach rumble at the very sight of the pumpkin pasties and chocolate frogs, "My friends were being kind of annoying, so I left."

"Implying that we're not your friends?" Hugo asked with a chuckle.

"You're certainly not," Albus said, ruffling his hair and expertly dodging his younger cousin as he attempted to fight back. In the corner of the compartment, by the window, Rose huffed and pulled a book out of her bag, still intent on ignoring Albus whenever possible.

"She'll get over herself eventually," Hugo said, rolling his eyes in his sister's direction. Rose flipped him the bird before returning to her book, her expression thunderous. Albus couldn't help but almost wince.

"In the meantime, at least you have us," Louis said, tossing Albus a pumpkin pasty, which he caught with ease. Rose glanced up briefly from her book to glare at him, but he simply smiled smugly and returned to doling out the food.

Albus had almost forgotten how much fun he had had with his cousins in the past, as it had always very much depended on exactly which cousins were involved, and so it was nice to be able to spend time with them without the endless teasing and pranks pulled by his older brother. They had mostly died down over the years as James had grown up and matured, but Albus had always been one to hold unnecessary grudges.

Roxanne and Louis discussed their plans for the future now that they had officially finished school, which only served to make Albus incredibly jealous, and sensitive subjects such as the Pureblood Knights or a certain blonde-haired Gryffindor were avoided at all costs, though Albus could just tell that Hugo was itching to ask. For once, he managed to keep his mouth shut, for which Albus was relieved, grateful, and even a little confused at how much he seemed to have grown up.

Albus considered his own future as the countryside landscapes turned into a grey cityscape and his cousins pelted Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans at one another. He and Scorpius had always planned to go to university together, perhaps in Heidelberg where they had an ancient Wizarding university. He wasn't sure what he wanted to study, but Scorpius would have been there, and that was all that would have mattered. Now, however, he felt like a ship lost at sea in a storm, with no anchor to tie it down.

He had always felt like a drifter, like somebody who didn't really belong anywhere, until he had found Scorpius. Feeling that sense creep in once again quite honestly scared him shitless, so he shook himself back to his senses and forced himself to join in with the food fight, even if it was only brief as the train at last pulled in to King's Cross station.

In the end, Albus was one of the last ones off the train, as he had had to rush back to the other compartment to grab his trunk. On top was a note that simply said 'sorry' in scribbled handwriting. Feeling anger rise up once again in his chest, he scrunched up the note and threw it onto the floor before heading out to see his family.

He couldn't help but grin as he first caught sight of his family all together on the platform, his parents hand in hand and laughing at whatever Lily was saying as she flitted around them while James tried his best to tickle her. He stepped off the train, waving, until he was stopped short by the sight of Scorpius with his parents only a few feet away.

"Albus!" He felt the air leave his lungs as his mother wrapped him up in a bone-crunching hug, "It's so good to see you again."

"Mum, people are staring," He hissed, but she knew that he didn't mean it and only hugged him more tightly, "Fine. It's good to see you, too."

"It'll be great to have some youngsters around the house at last," His father said, winking at him, "The Malfoys spent most of last night trying to explain taxes to us, with little success."

"Can't teach an old dog new tricks," Draco said, as all of the adults in the vicinity laughed, including James, which was rather alarming, "How you managed to make it this far in life, I'll never know, Potter."

"Believe me, Malfoy, I've been asking myself the same thing for an awfully long time," Harry replied, chuckling as he took Lily's trunk from her and they headed out of the station. Albus was in fact rather aware of the eyes on him as they left, as students whispered about him to their parents, or even pointed his way. Shrugging and keeping his shoulders hunched, he headed through the barrier.

"Dad, please," Lily said, snorting, "You're not that old."

"Sometimes I feel it," Harry said, nudging her, "Now, come on. There's tea and scones back home… As well as important matters that need to be discussed."

Albus couldn't miss the way his father glanced in Draco's direction, or the subtle grimace on his face as he clutched his wife to his side a little tighter. There had been little news involving the Pureblood Knights for the past few weeks, but something told Albus that his father knew that it was far from over.

Once everybody was home and the trunks had been piled up in the corner of the hallway for the time being, Lily and Hugo were herded into the living room along with Cassie, who was fast asleep. When the Weasleys arrived, Rose huffed at Albus and Scorpius, who were pointedly ignoring each other as they sat at opposite ends of the kitchen table, and went to sit next to her parents, her arms crossed angrily across her chest.

"What's all this about?" Scorpius asked nobody in particular, confused. It was the first time that Albus had heard him speak since that day, and it took every last bit of restraint in him not to storm angrily out of the room, "I haven't seen anything in the papers for weeks, hasn't it all just died down?"

"I wish," Harry said, rubbing his temples, "We've just gotten better at keeping the attacks concealed. Much better. I'm just thankful there weren't any more attacks at Hogwarts, though I'm fairly certain the Ministry's come close several times."

"You don't know?" Albus asked, his mind reeling at the combination of Scorpius being in the room and this devastating new information. A small part of him had hoped, even if futile, that things were over.

"Suspicious packages, threatening letters… Nothing we could irrefutably pin to them." Harry sighed and took a long sip of his coffee.

"I think we're just going to have to wait for them to make the next move," Ron said, looking as tired and worn as Harry no doubt felt. Next to him, Hermione had a glum expression on her face as she stared mindlessly into her tea. No doubt all of this was taking its toll on her, as the Minister for Magic.

"What if people get hurt?" James demanded, scowling, "Haven't enough people suffered already?"

"You're right, James," Harry agreed, nodding, "This is a difficult situation, but it's the only reasonable course of action we can think of for the time being. We need to get the upper hand, but we can only do so if we have some idea of what they want, of what they're after. As it is, we're completely stumped."

"They're Pureblood fanatics," Scorpius pointed out, "Surely that's enough?"

"Believe me, we've tried. We've been down that route a million and one times but so far it's led us nowhere but on a wild goose chase," Harry replied, sounding honestly regretful.

Ginny got to her feet, and said, "Come on. This isn't going anywhere. We can start having proper meetings again once we figure out what the hell's going on. For now, I have several extra mouths to feed and house, and I'd like our guests to be comfortable."

"Thanks for the invitation, Gin." Ron said through a mouthful of biscuits.

"It's only for a few days, mind." Ginny said, the warning clear in her voice, "So you can sort everything out."

"I really do appreciate it," Ron replied, sounding genuinely sincere, "After the threats, the letters… I think we'd all feel better with the extra security here."

Albus couldn't help but feel bitter. Now he would be forced to share his house with two people who were determined to ignore him at any cost. Surely it couldn't possibly get any worse; there was no way in hell.

"Now, Rose, you'll be sharing a room with Lily." Ginny said, leading the teenagers back into the hall, "She's promised me she doesn't mind. Hugo's with James, and Albus, you'll be with Scorpius, alright?"

Albus froze. Apparently, things could get worse. They were about to get much, much worse. He risked a glance back in Scorpius' direction to see the same horrified expression on his face.

Shit.


	42. This Is Not For You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry about the wait! life has been pretty hectic lately and i've been spending most of my free time binging gilmore girls when i really should have been writing, but i'm working on that. ;)
> 
> today's chapter is named after the song 'this is not for you' by blood red shoes. enjoy, and i hope you like cliffhangers! :)

"I don't want you to think I do these things I do because of you"

Ginny looked at the two boys, frowning, as she tried to comprehend the mirrored looks of horror on both their faces. Eventually Albus managed to school his expression into one that might have been of mild disbelief, or surprise.

"What's wrong?" She asked slowly, cautiously, "Is there a problem with that? Because I'm afraid we don't have any more rooms, and I'm not having Albus stay with Hugo again, not after last time."

"No," Scorpius spluttered, rushing forward to grab his trunk, "I'm just… Surprised, is all. We've never shared a room before."

"Right," Ginny said, nodding to herself. It was the most blatant lie Albus had probably ever heard, and he almost wanted to clap Scorpius on the back in congratulations until he remembered that Scorpius hated him and would probably jinx him now that they were both of age.

"I'll, uh, show you to my room then," Albus said, clearing his throat and trying his hardest to look anywhere but in Scorpius' direction as he began lugging his trunk up the stairs. His head was a maelstrom of emotions and pure, unadulterated fear as he opened his bedroom door to let Scorpius in.

His room was almost just as he remembered it, with the shelves piled high with books and the familiar wall hangings of Quidditch teams and potions that had been there since before he could even remember, but could never bear to get rid of. His mother had cleared his spare bed, which was usually piled high with books, clothes, and other random crap that seemed to gather no matter how often he tidied, and Albus gestured vaguely to it, his heart still beating far too rapidly in his chest.

"Um, that's your bed. The bathroom's down the hall. If you need anything..." Albus trailed off, aware that he had probably overstepped the line of what Scorpius now deemed acceptable, "Well. I'm sure you'll work it out."

Scorpius simply nodded and pulled his trunk over to his bed where he began pulling his pyjamas, his books, and various knickknacks out. From the way his fists were clenched, Albus knew that this couldn't be easy for him either, but he couldn't pity him, not after what he had done.

"So, are we going to talk at all, or?" Albus asked, barely able to raise his voice above a whisper. He knew Scorpius had heard him, because his shoulders had drooped visibly, but he continued to ignore him, "What if you end up being here all summer? Are we just not going to acknowledge each other's existences, or?"

"Yes," Scorpius said harshly, throwing his trunk back onto the ground and kicking it under the bed with a loud thud, "That's exactly what we're going to do."

"But why?" Albus demanded, his voice rising now, the anger simmering deeply within him, "Why do you seem so intent to hate me? After everything we've been through?"

"Does any of that really matter now?" Scorpius asked, already heading out of the door.

"Yes, of course it matters!" Albus replied as his bedroom door was slammed shut with a resounding bang.

Sighing, Albus flopped back down onto his bed, his head in his hands. This summer was going to be a disaster; in fact, it was already. Reluctantly he got back up to his feet and trudged downstairs, not quite ready for the first of what he assumed would be many awkward family dinners.

As it turned out, he had wildly estimated just how awkward dinner would truly be. He had thought the Order meeting had been terrible enough, but that was nothing. It turned out that he was sat directly opposite Scorpius, and it proved nearly impossible not to catch his gaze from time to time, which was of course met with endless amounts of glaring and sneering, which Albus only hoped none of the adults at the table managed to pick on. If they suspected anything was wrong, they would want answers which neither of them would be willing to give.

"So, boys, this is your last summer at Hogwarts," Ginny said as she handed the plates out, "How are you going to spend it?"

"Dunno," Albus said in a monotone voice, while Scorpius simply shrugged noncommittally.

"Right…" Ginny trailed off, frowning.

"Teenagers," Ron said in a stage whisper, winking in Albus' direction. Albus grinned and rolled his eyes in his uncle's direction.

"Well, I'm sure we can find plenty for you to do around the house, not to mention the garden. It might be small, but I simply never have time to spend out there," Ginny sighed before bustling out of the kitchen as Albus groaned in unison with Scorpius, Rose, Lily and Hugo, none of whom had been exempt from Ginny's pointed look before she had vanished to start serving the meal.

"There goes my summer," Lily said with a huff, flicking her long hair dramatically, "My friends and I had so many plans, too!"

"Oh, come on," Albus scoffed, "The garden will take a day at most."

"Albus, have you been outside yet? It's a nightmare." Rose interjected, smiling sympathetically at Lily, who had her arms crossed angrily in front of her, then froze as she realised that she had broken her silence with Albus. He couldn't outwardly show how pleased he was, so he aimed a kick at her under the table, which she responded to by narrowing her eyes at him.

"Yeah, but we have magic, don't we?" Albus said, kicking his cousin once more. It was oddly satisfying to see the pinched expression on her face as she tried not to let her frustration show.

"Not if I have anything to do with it," Ron said, nodding conspiratorially at them, "Back in my day, Mum would've had a fit if we'd even thought about picking up our wands. Good thing she's not here to hear you."

"Is it safe, then?" Albus asked. Ron frowned, so he elaborated, "The Burrow?"

"Oh!" Ron nodded, "Of course. Safest place in England, the Burrow. Probably."

"So grandma and grandpa are safe?" Lily asked, her expression sombre.

"Yes, they're safe," Hermione assured them, patting Ron on the shoulder, "Now come on, it's dinner, let's try and keep the conversation light, okay?"

"How are we meant to do that when everything's so shit?" Rose asked, aiming a kick back at Albus' shin as she did so.

"Language!" Hermione chided as if on autopilot, before she laughed and shook her head slightly, "No, be as vulgar as you like. Believe it or not, Ron used to swear like a sailor."

Albus and Rose exchanged fake disbelieving looks as Lily stifled a giggle. Scorpius just looked awkward and tired, as he had done since he arrived.

"Really, Dad?" Rose gasped, "I would never have expected that from you."

At that moment, dinner was served at last, and there was a not too unpleasant silence as everybody tucked in.

"We were just discussing our plans for the summer," Lily said to Harry through a mouthful of potato, "Do we have any? As a family?"

Harry sighed wearily, brushing his hair from his face, "Unfortunately I don't think we're going to be able to have a family holiday this year, Lily."

"But… France." Lily pouted, her eyes wide and on the verge of watering. She had always adored their summers spent in France, even more than the rest of them. Even Albus couldn't help but feel a little regretful that they wouldn't be going on their usual family excursion but given the circumstances, he wasn't particularly surprised.

"I'm sorry, Lily," Harry said, sounding truly regretful, "I'm afraid we - I - have a lot to ask of you this summer. We're hoping you might be able to help us."

"Of course!" Lily said, rubbing nonchalantly at her face as if to disguise the fact she had been on the verge of tears.

"You know we'd be willing to do anything!" Hugo agreed, using the largest number of words in one go that Albus had heard from him in a while.

"Oh… I mean, you can help around the house, of course, but neither of you are of age. I was thinking more of Albus, Rose, and Scorpius." Harry said, shushing their vehement protests.

"Harry's right," Ginny said, smiling sadly at him, "And besides, I doubt Hermione would be fond of me if I did such a thing as let Hugo help."

"Hey!" Hugo protested, "I can help! I'm not an idiot!"

"I know, dear," Hermione said, "But you're simply too young. These three - if they agree - might be putting their lives in danger, and we simply can't risk something like that for you and Lily."

Albus had always known that growing up and coming of age weren't going to be enjoyable, but if they meant being willing to die for a cause he wasn't so certain he believed in, then it was going to be downright miserable. He would still agree, however. He had no other real choice. It was either fight back, or feel guilty for not trying, for doing nothing.

"I'm in." Albus said, fighting back the guilt that was rising in his stomach at the very thought of not agreeing to help, "After everything they've done to me, how could I not be?"

"Me too," Rose said confidently, nodding, "On one condition - You have to tell us everything. And I mean everything. No more keeping secrets because you think we can't handle it. As you've said, we're of age now, and we deserve to know the truth."

"I'm in too," Scorpius said at last, looking faintly green.

"Scorpius, you can't -" Draco began, having been silent until that point, but Scorpius shook his head.

"No, Dad, I have to do this," He insisted, though to Albus he still looked pale and completely uncomfortable with what was happening, "Like it or not, I'm a part of this now, and I'm going to do as much as I can to help."

Draco nodded, relenting, "Fine, but don't expect your mother or I to be happy about it."

"When have you and mum ever been happy with anything I've done?" Scorpius asked, his face splitting into a grin. Albus remembered all of the similar grins sent in his direction and tucked back into his food, refusing even to look up again until the table was cleared.

"So…" Rose cleared her throat once the adults had begun drinking wine and the mismatched family had reconvened in the living room, "What is it you want us to do?"

"We're not quite sure yet," Harry said, taking a long sip of wine and settling into his chair, "We have intel about several places they may possibly be operating out of. We - the Order - were thinking that perhaps you could stake them out, see if you can find out anything about their movements."

"But won't their hideouts be heavily guarded?" Albus asked, chewing on his bottom lip nervously. The very idea of being so close to where those filthy cowards were hiding… He had to try hard not to shudder visibly.

""And warded and shielded and Merlin-only-knows-what." Harry admitted with a heavy sigh that spoke volumes about the kind of pressures he must have been under, "But you'll be protected too, of course. Albus, you have the Cloak now, and you'll have to make sure to stay out of the perimeter. Are you up to that?"

"Of course," Albus said, feeling the weight of the world itself pressing down on his shoulders. Next to him but not sitting too closely, of course, Scorpius nodded in agreement, his expression grave.

"Rose?" Hermione asked at the exact second that she burst into tears, great ugly sobs that Albus wouldn't have thought possible from his stoic cousin.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," She said, flailing her arms about herself as she tried to calm herself down, "I don't know why I'm crying, I don't - I thought I'd be able to handle this, but I can't - I'm not ready - I'm sorry, I'm such a let down, I'm sorry."

"No, you're not!" Albus insisted, grabbing her hands and pulling them away from her face so that he could look her in the eye and make her understand what everybody else saw in her for once, "You're not a let down and you never have been! If I'm honest, I'm freaking the hell out right now. Everything that's happening is big, and it's scary, but it's nothing we can't handle together, alright? Nobody's expecting you to go through this alone - or even at all, not if you don't feel you can. You're the strongest, brightest person I know, and I don't think any less of you for this. If anything, I think more of you, for admitting that this isn't easy, for being able to express your emotions. Do you understand what I'm saying here?"

"Yes," Rose nodded through sobs before flinging her arms around Albus' neck and whispering, "Thank you, Al."

"S'no problem," Albus replied as she let go, wiping at the patch on his shoulder that was damp with her tears. Feeling eyes on him, Albus glanced to the side to find Scorpius watching him silently, curiously, an expression that soon turned to a sneer when he realised Albus was watching him.

"Come on, I think what we need now is a good, long night's sleep. It's been a long day, and a hard one to." Albus pulled himself to his feet, tugging Rose along with him, "Mum…"

"Three hot chocolates, coming right up," Ginny smiled knowingly, "Whipped cream and marshmallows?"

"Wouldn't want it any other way," Al said as he, Rose, and Scorpius, tagging along only because he knew he had to, dragged themselves up the stairs and into Albus' room, where an awkward silence descended.

"I'm sorry about that," Rose said, sitting herself down on Albus' bed without an invitation and pulling her legs up. She wiped her nose absentmindedly on her sleeve before grimacing and muttering to herself.

"You don't need to apologise," Albus said, "You realise your reaction was perfectly reasonable, right?"

"For you, perhaps," Rose scoffed, "Sorry. Low blow. I guess I'm just a little frustrated right now. I want to help, I want to be a part of the Order, but I'm scared half to death by the very thought of them… But considering what you've both been through, I don't feel at all justified in that fear."

Albus looked to Scorpius, who glared right back, wondering which of them would be the first to speak, the first to break the silence. Instead, it only continued to drag on, until Rose got back to her feet in a huff and stomped over to the door.

"I'm going to bed, since this conversation is a complete no-go," Rose said harshly, "I still want my hot chocolate, though. Merlin knows I need it, or even something slightly stronger…"

"Rose, you don't drink," Albus reminded her.

"I know!" She said scathingly, "But you two might just drive me to it!"

With that, she was gone in a flurry of wild auburn hair and slammed doors, leaving Albus alone with Scorpius and the crushing weight of his own hopeless situation.

Scorpius immediately turned away from him to continue sorting out his things, and continued to do so until Ginny arrived with the hot chocolates. He thanked her warmly and told her where Rose had gone, but the second the door closed he was back to being a cold, lifeless imitation of himself.

As he sat on his bed and flicked through a book, sipping at his hot chocolate, Albus realised that this really was going to be the worst summer of his life, and there was no way around that.

* * *

"Well? Albus asked, glancing in Scorpius' direction. He was met with cold, stony silence, nothing unusual there; perhaps a flicker of irritation in the way his mouth moved ever so slightly.

"Scorpius, I know you hate me, but we're going to need to communicate if we want to pull this off," Albus reminded him less than gently, even making sure to nudge him as surreptitiously as he could.

"Quiet!" Scorpius hissed through bare teeth.

"Alright, fine," Albus said, shifting his position slightly to get a better vantage point. His elbows and legs had also started to go numb, but he could deal with that, for now at least, "I just think it's ridiculous, to think we could do this without actually talking to each other. What if something happens?"

"Shut up, or they're going to hear us," Scorpius whispered, his tone bitter as he pulled out a set of binoculars and used them to peer out of the window of the dank, dusty warehouse where they were spending the day, into the window of another danker, dustier warehouse on the outskirts of London that the Order suspected was some base of operations for the Pureblood Knights.

The pair of them had been there since before dawn that morning, being Apparated to a spot a mile or so away and trudging through long abandoned streets and old factory buildings until they came to the dot on Albus' map. Magic would have been useful, but they had been expressly forbidden from using magic. Unfortunately, that meant wandless, too, and Albus had to beat down his irritation every time they had gotten lost or turned left when they should have turned right.

Eventually, after almost an hour of fruitless searching, they had found the warehouse, and had spent almost as long again hunting for a suitable and well-hidden vantage point, all of which had been done in complete, miserable silence.

Still, it was nothing compared to actually having to live with the guy.

It was horrible, defying all of his expectations. He had never talked so little in his life, as he felt he automatically had to shut his mouth whenever Scorpius was around. It was like he was constantly stepping on eggshells or broken glass, and one wrong move could bring everything crashing down all over again.

Sleep was proving an impossibility, as he lay in bed at night, hyper-aware of Scorpius only metres from him, breathing softly. Some nights, if it all got too much, he'd go downstairs and sleep on the sofa, and wake up early to watch the sunrise in the garden with a cup of tea. It wasn't perfect, and it wasn't at all what he wanted, but he was dealing with it.

Scorpius couldn't ignore him forever. He knew it, and Albus knew it, but the last thing Albus wanted was confrontation, so it looked like things were going to stay the way they were for a little while longer.

"Nothing's happening," Albus pointed out. They had been here for several hours now, and the only sign of movement they had seen in that time was an injured fox loping across the tarmac that had nearly caused the pair of them to have a heart attack when it had darted between the buildings, "This is clearly a no-go. We're just going to have to tell the Order that their information was wrong."

"Shut up," Scorpius muttered, giving Albus a sidelong glance filled with loathing and irritation.

"I say we give up. If nothing's happened in five hours, it's hardly going to happen now, is it?" Albus rolled his eyes, resisting the overwhelming urge to clench his fists at his sides and perhaps even punch Scorpius in the face with them. Patience had never been one of Albus' better qualities, but this wait was bordering on ridiculous for anybody.

"Potter…" Scorpius said in a warning tone. Albus frowned at the use of his last name and continued on with his tirade.

"Listen, I think we should just go. This is pointless, and I certainly don't want to have to spend more time with you than is necessary, so let's just -"

"For fuck's sake, Potter, look!" Scorpius pointed to the entrance of the warehouse, where two shady looking figures in dark red cloaks had suddenly appeared, as if from thin air. Albus couldn't help it; his entire body tensed in fear at the very sight of them, and his limbs began to shake.

"See? Who was right here?" Scorpius grinned smugly before he realised Albus was in full-blown panic mode. His expression softened just a little, but he said, "For Merlin's sake, pull yourself together. You call yourself a Potter?"

"Shut up," Albus said, "There's a chance they might actually hear us now, you know… Malfoy."

"Fine," Scorpius pulled his binoculars back out and watched them intently from the window as several more figures Apparated to the warehouse's main entrance, before slipping in through a side door, glancing all about them as they went. Mercifully, none of them so much as glanced in the direction of the two boys.

After ten more minutes in which absolutely nothing of note happened, Scorpius got to his feet, shoving his binoculars back into his bag.

"What the hell are you doing?" Albus hissed, grabbing his sleeve and pulling him back down before they were seen.

"Get off," Scorpius shoved Albus away and dusted himself off before stalking down the rickety staircase that took him to the ground floor of the abandoned old building.

Groaning internally, Albus clambered to his feet and followed after him, just to make sure he didn't end up getting spotted or killed with a horrifying jinx or anything of the sort. Albus cringed at every creak on the staircase or heavy footfall, certain that the sound would carry across to the other warehouse.

Scorpius was by the door, peering out and blinking at the sudden appearance of the sun. As Albus sidled up to him, he spotted the several new figures lingering by the door, all whispering amongst themselves and glancing furtively about, making it clear that they didn't want to be seen. Whether or not they expected it, Albus wasn't certain.

"What's the point of this?" Albus whispered, but Scorpius waved him away and took another step forward, "What the hell? Are you trying to get us caught?"

Scorpius simply put his finger to his lips and took yet another cautious step, just as the figures by the warehouse finally slipped inside. Before Albus could really grasp what was happening, Scorpius was outside, running over to the other warehouse before darting out of sight around the corner. Clearly the other boy had a death wish, and Albus was quite tempted just to leave him to it.

Frowning at his own stupidity and better judgement, he followed Scorpius outside, blinking at the sudden brightness and praying that no one spotted him. He found Scorpius crouching down among a clump of weeds that didn't quite succeed in hiding him from sight, peering into cracked and dirty windows to no avail.

"What are you doing?" Albus murmured as he finally caught up to him. He started, jumping up in shock and turning to face Albus, a knife in his hand and pointed directly at Albus. Somehow he wasn't even surprised that Scorpius had managed to acquire a knife; it would probably serve him better than the stick Albus had found on the walk there that he had thought might be quite effective at knocking them about the head, "Get that away from me!"

"Come on," Scorpius gestured, taking several more awkwardly crouched steps forward. Albus didn't even bother to comment, simply following his instructions and coming to crouch beside him in the weeds, which tickled at his bare arms, "This window's open, we might be able to hear something!"

Shaking his head and wondering just when the hell his life fell apart, Albus pressed his ear to the wall, and could just about make out the quiet hum of human voices, though he was unable to make out any words.

Without another word, Scorpius was off again, his hand clutching almost desperately at his knife. Albus supposed that not having access to his wand must have been pretty irritating, but he always had his wandless magic. His father had told him not to use it except under the most dire of circumstances, but it was definitely a comfort, knowing that he could fight back if such a thing was necessary.

Fighting to keep the annoyance at bay, Albus followed him around the building to the back entrance, which must once have been a loading bay for lorries and deliveries. One of the windows was smashed in completely, and before Albus could stop him, Scorpius had climbed through, not even looking back to check if Albus, or anybody else, was there.

"Merlin's beard," Albus muttered, rushing over to the window. Inside, he could see Scorpius moving covertly through the building, barely more than a shadow, as well as a group of ten or so people all gathered around a table, studying whatever was on it carefully and talking quietly amongst themselves about it.

Realising that he had no other option, and that Draco expected Albus to keep his son safe, he tried to crawl through the window, throwing his bag through first before somehow managing to heave himself through.

"That's it!" A masculine voice shouted suddenly, causing Albus to lose what little balance he had as he was deciding what the best course of action to take was. Instead, he toppled to the floor with a loud thud, causing the Pureblood Knights to turn to him, wands out.

"Shit," He whispered to himself as he flung himself and his bag behind a large, wide column as stealthily as was probably possible for him, "Shit, shit, shit.

"What was that?" One of the figures asked, his voice harsh and nasally all at once.

"I don't know," Another, more feminine voice replied, "Go check it out."

Desperately, Albus ran for it. It was a flight or fight response, and he knew he couldn't possibly fight against ten fully grown wizards who probably knew all sorts of dark spells and enchantments. His mind was whirring so fast it was making him nauseous and dizzy as he caught sight of Scorpius and sprinted towards him, forgetting for a second that Scorpius likely wouldn't want to help him.

"Who is it?" One of them asked. Their voice sounded far too close as it echoed out across the warehouse.

"I don't bloody know, do I?" Another replied, sneering.

"Probably one of those useless Aurors they keep sending," A third, feminine voice replied.

"Well, we'll make short work of them, won't we?" The first guffawed, causing the one of the others to shove him into a wall, as was obvious by the loud thudding noise and the way the whole structure of the building shook slightly.

"Quiet, you lout!" The woman scolded, "They're probably gone right now."

The whole time they were speaking, the voices had been getting closer and closer, but Albus and Scorpius hadn't moved, merely staring at each other with wide eyes and horrified expressions. Albus shook his head to clear it and waved to Scorpius to follow him to a pile of boxes that he thought might provide a decent hiding place.

The other boy shook his head, and took off yet again without another word.

Right into the path of the oncoming Pureblood Knights.

"Well, well," One of them said, sounding gleeful. Albus shifted slightly so that he could see the scene unfold, praying that nothing happened and that nobody got hurt. He could feel his magic in the back of his mind, desperate to be used, but he somehow managed to keep it quiet.

"It seems the Aurors have resorted to sending children to us," The woman observed wryly, holding her wand aloft in front of her. Albus couldn't make out her face, but could just about to see the long, dark hair that cascaded down past her shoulders. Almost frozen with fear, his brain was picking up the most random of details, as if to distract him from the true horror of what was in front of him.

"Why, it appears they've sent us the Malfoy boy. Come to join us at last?" The man's voice was mocking, and Albus hated him with every fibre of his being.

"Never!" Scorpius shot back. His knife was in his hand behind his back, and it was trembling visibly even in the dim, dingy light, "I'll never join you!"

"Who cares, just get him!" The woman screeched, her wand now pointed directly at Scorpius.

"No!" Albus shouted, unable to stand it anymore. Before he was even aware of what he was doing, he had jumped in front of Scorpius, ready to unleash his magic on anybody who dared come near him, who dared hurt him. He wouldn't let Scorpius get hurt again. He couldn't bear it.

Everything exploded in a flash of bright white light, and the last thing Albus was aware of before he was thrown unceremoniously into unconsciousness was pain like nothing he had ever felt before, and shouting, and someone throwing themselves around him before he felt a familiar tugging sensation and was gone.


	43. Long & Lost

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welcome to this chapter of out of the woods! i'm feeling very happy cos i cranked this chapter out in just two days thanks to nanowrimo! (i'm buzzybeeforever by the way, if you want to add me as a buddy or check on my progress, i'll be sure to add you all back!)
> 
> today's chapter is named after the song 'long & lost' by florence and the machine and i hope from the bottom of my heart that you enjoy it, because a lot of exciting things are happening :)

"I've figured out where I belong, but it's too late"

Albus couldn't help but feel that something was wrong. Very, very wrong. Everything around him was blurred, hazy, like running through smoke. He had the distinct impression that something was going to happen, but he couldn't for the life of him think what.

He was running and running through corridor after corridor without quite knowing why. All he knew was that he had to get away, though what from, he couldn't possibly say. Brief memories of arguments and tears and an all-encompassing anger surfaced briefly in his mind only to be promptly forgotten all over again, and so he continued to run with no apparent end goal in sight.

At some point, a weight appeared in his hands, slowing him down, and he was running up staircase after staircase, gasping for breath through what he thought were tears, filling up his lungs and choking him any time he thought too hard about things. But he had no reason to run, no reason to be sad, no reason to be anything, really. Yet here he was, running and crying and stumbling up stairs, his breath ragged, when for some reason he felt like he should have been drifting, should have been lost. The only thing that was clear was that nothing was as it was supposed to be.

Suddenly he was standing at the top of the astronomy tower, with a bottle of firewhisky in his hand, and he knew at last what was happening. It was Christmas Eve, the night when his life had fallen so dramatically apart in ways he was beginning to remember more and more with every passing minute, as if the fog was lifting at long last. As he leaned over the edge of the balcony and downed the bottle of potent liquid, his throat burning even more, things around him began to feel even hazier than they had been before, like he wasn't really there, like his brain was resisting him.

And then, as he threw the bottle to the ground and it shattered, he felt a startling clarity. He knew what was going to happen next. It was as if the fog of alcohol that had been pressing down on his memories for months had just vanished.

Scorpius was there, and Albus was shouting at him, a torrent of vile, horrible words that he never would have dreamed he could ever have said to his best friend. And Scorpius didn't even bat an eyelash; he had simply done everything in his power to calm Albus down, to make him see that he was simply tired and angry and drunk and delusional beyond all belief.

And then Scorpius had told him that he loved him.

And then -

Oh, Merlin.

And then Albus was kissing him, and it didn't feel wrong or forced or weird. It just felt right, like everything was finally falling into place, and some part of him wondered vaguely how he had ever been able to forget a moment like this, but that all seemed entirely inconsequential, and so he kept kissing him until all of the alcohol he had so foolishly consumed caught up to him and regretfully he had to pull away.

He vomited loudly over the edge of the balcony, thinking that perhaps some memories were better off staying forgotten, until at last everything began to blur around the edges until the world around him disappeared entirely….

Where at last he woke up for real, his head pounding and his body aching in ways and places he didn't dare think too much upon. It took him a few moments to gather together his thoughts, to pull together the strands of memory from both Christmas Eve and the incident that had rendered him so sore and unconscious in the first place.

It was then that he realised, perhaps belatedly, that he was well and truly screwed.

Apprehensively, his breath catching in his throat, he opened his eyes, breathing out a sigh of relief at the sight of the white and sterile room surrounding him. He was in a hospital, then, which meant he and Scorpius had somehow managed to escape the Pureblood Knights.

The thought of Scorpius sent his head spinning as memories of Christmas Eve came crashing back. He had really kissed Scorpius, and for all these months he had just completely forgotten about it. In a way, it was really no wonder that Scorpius hated him. Albus was just surprised that he had managed to stick their friendship out for that long.

And the more he thought about it, the more he realised that he had wanted to kiss Scorpius, and that he would probably quite like to again, given the chance. It was just a shame he had blown it so spectacularly.

Everything certainly made a hell of a lot more sense now, at least from a wider perspective. Internally, he was still freaking out, and he wasn't sure that was going to stop any time soon. But it certainly explained a lot; why Scorpius had seemed so awkward on Christmas Day, why their friendship had seemed so awkward and stilted at times over the past few months, perhaps even why Scorpius had so viciously ended their friendship.

Well. That was it, then. He liked Scorpius. Rather a lot, if he thought about it, though right now he hardly dared to, though it was a welcome distraction from the pain he was in. He couldn't help but feel slightly cynical about it all. If he had never gotten drunk that evening, then he probably would never have kissed Scorpius, and things might have been okay, but perhaps then he never would have realised how he truly felt – in fact, he felt he had barely scratched the surface of how he felt – but it wouldn't have mattered, because the two of them would probably still have been friends, and that would have been enough for the rest of time.

Shaking his head to clear it and instead wincing at the pain that shot through it, he opened his eyes once more to get a better bearing on his surroundings. He knew immediately that he was in St. Mungo's, from the patterned bedspread to the flowery curtains surrounding his bed, and then panicked slightly, wondering just what the extent of his injuries was.

As his heart rate escalated, several nurses rushed in, fussing about him as he assured them in a croaky voice that he was fine, that he just wanted to know what the hell had happened and why he was here. Once his heart rate was back down to normal, they left, and he was frightened and alone all over again, still desperate to know just what was going on.

Moments later, when he was on the brink of falling asleep all over again, his family rushed in, and he was jolted back awake by Lily crushing his lungs and sobbing onto his shoulder. Grinning faintly, he patted her hair and reassured her that he was going to be fine, though he wasn't at all sure of that himself.

"Dad, what happened? How did I end up in here?" Albus asked, glancing up at his father and seeing plainly the exhaustion in his features and the three day shadow across his chin as beside him, his mother and James regarded him with fearful expressions, "How long have I been out?"

"What do you remember?" Harry asked, settling into the chair at Albus' bedside and sighing. Albus could barely even begin to think about what his family must have been through while he was out of it, how terrified they must all have been.

"I remember that we got caught, and that they were about to fire at Scorpius, and that I jumped in the way – I think – but that's it. I remember nothing after that." Albus tried to shift slightly but found that he couldn't move his legs. Panic rose once more, "Dad, why can't I move my legs?"

Slowly, Lily removed herself from the bed and smiled at Albus sadly before James stepped forward and gave him an awkward thumbs up. Ginny just looked like she was about to burst into tears, and that was almost more than he could take.

"Something about… The spell that was cast at you, and the way you landed on the floor." Harry grimaced, "They're certain you'll make a full recovery, but for the time being..."

"So..." Albus spoke slowly, his mind whirring, "I'm paralysed?"

"For the time being, yes," Ginny said gently, "But it's not forever, just remember that."

"But how can you know for sure?" Albus demanded, as James finally got the hint and helped him sit up. He squeezed his hands into fists, relieved that at least some part of him was still working. At least that explained the pain he felt. Nothing, however, could explain the sheer, overwhelming terror he felt, worse even than it had been when he had jumped in front of Scorpius. He hadn't been scared, then, because he knew with absolute certainty that what he was doing was for the best. Now, he was helpless, and there was nothing that he could do, and that was the most terrifying thing of all.

"We can't," Ginny responded, her voice cracking slightly, making Albus feel even worse, "But we have to trust the doctors. And believe in yourself. You can get through this, I know you can. You'll have us, and Rose, and Scorpius, every step of the way."

He jolted at the sound of Scorpius' name, sending pain shooting back down his leg. He didn't have Scorpius, and perhaps he never would again, but his parents didn't need to know that. They had enough on their mind.

"Yeah, you're right," Albus sighed, relenting. He felt the fear ease a little, but he also knew that this was only the beginning. He had a long way to go before things were going to become even slightly better.

"Scorpius is really grateful, by the way," Lily piped up, "That you saved his life."

"Well, of course he is, Lily," Ginny said, shaking her head, "They're best friends."

Albus mouthed a thank you to Lily, before, desperate to move the conversation on, he said, "Is there any food around here? I'm starving!"

"Typical," James said, rolling his eyes, "But you're in luck, mum wouldn't let us come without bringing a veritable feast with us."

As his family gathered round the bed to share the food, Albus felt a little better, but deep down he knew that it wouldn't last, and that eventually he would have to face his fears. For now, however, he was content to forget everything for just a little while, and he knew his family would be, too.

* * *

Over the next few days, Albus gradually began to gain more feeling in his legs, but any attempts at actually moving them just ended in frustrated groans and more shooting pains, but things could have been much worse. Scorpius could have been hurt, or they could have actually been caught, or -

His mind was a whirlpool, into which all of the most horrible and vicious thoughts in the world seemed to fall. Luckily he had his family by his side every hour of the day so he was never too alone. When Rose had first seen him, she had burst into tears and hugged him tightly for nearly an hour, apologising for ever ignoring him and promising never to leave him alone ever again.

He couldn't help it; he had cried too, an almost unending torrent of tears. At one point, Scorpius had appeared at the door, no doubt coerced by his parents, and he had stood there awkwardly as Albus cried ever harder, until suddenly he was no longer there.

The very sight of them brought back the feelings he wasn't quite sure he was ready to address. It brought back memories of Christmas Eve, of all the times they had shared a bed or casually held hands or just been in each other's presence. Part of him knew he was a fool for not realising sooner, the other part of him wished he had never realised at all. It would make the sight of him all the less painful.

He didn't want to think about Scorpius anymore, and so he didn't. He beat Lily at Wizard Chess and was completely defeated time and time again by James. He ate the cakes and brownies and doughnuts that his Aunt Hermione brought him, and let his Uncle Ron tell elaborate tales about his time at Hogwarts, making sure to keep the tone light. It all helped, it really did, but somehow it was never enough.

Unfortunately, not thinking about Scorpius wasn't as easy as he'd presumed it would be.

Even at night, when he always had someone by his side to make certain he was never alone, because that first night had been absolute hell on earth, even then, it was as if the thoughts he didn't dare to think on during the day came to the surface.

Some nights he barely slept at all, having done nothing but sit around all day. He absolutely couldn't wait until he was out of the hospital and back home, but then he would have to go back to sharing a room with Scorpius, and the thought of that along with his current feelings and state of mind was nothing but a catastrophe waiting to happen.

In the end, he was only in St. Mungo's for five days, and while his family had tried to fill the days up with entertainment, they were quite possibly the longest five days of his life, yet still he wished that he could have stayed there longer, simply to delay seeing Scorpius again. Over the past few days he had tried and tried again to process his feelings, to make some sense out of the tangled mess that was his mind, but to no avail. He would simply have to cross that bridge when he came to it.

During his time in the hospital, his legs had gotten a lot better, and the Mediwizards had assured him on numerous occasions that with time and patience, he would be able to walk again before he knew it. Albus hated it; hated feeling so powerless, so useless. He'd never realised before how much freedom his legs granted him, and had taken it for granted. Never again.

He had the feeling back in them, which was a relief, but he could only stand for a moment or two before they could no longer take his weight and he had to sit back down. It was a little worrying that the Mediwizards still weren't sure exactly how his legs had come to be in this state; something to do with the residue of magic in the spell that he had so foolishly jumped in front of. He didn't regret it, not for a second, even if the real target of the spell did detest him so thoroughly.

* * *

"Welcome home!" Albus blinked in shock as he was greeted by the sight of almost his entire family in his living room, decked out in party hats and cheering loudly as his mum wheeled him in on the specially fitted wheelchair they had given him. His Grandma Weasley handed him a piece of cake and he ate it contentedly, trying not to feel too overwhelmed as relatives wished him a happy return and gave their condolences for what had happened.

His father wasn't there, as he was out on some secret mission for the Order by himself and had insisted that nobody come with him. As such, there was a distinct air of false jollity in the air, and Albus just hoped the party would be over quickly, and that his father would return home soon, safe and intact, unlike he was.

Inexplicably he found his eyes searching out Scorpius, even though he knew the sight of him would just bring all of the feelings he had tried so hard to forget about back. And there he was, at the back of the room by the table with the food, exactly where Albus had expected him to be, talking to his parents and ignoring Albus completely.

The very sight of him, with his neat blonde hair and smart Muggle clothes and a ridiculous pink party hat on his head broke Albus' heart all over again. Grimacing, he tried to focus on the party that had so graciously been thrown for him, but time and time again he found his eyes drifting towards the other boy and had to viciously remind himself that Scorpius hated him, and wouldn't want to talk to him, or reconcile, or do anything but continue to pretend that he didn't exist.

But something about looking at Scorpius made him wonder how he had never realised before how he felt. If he really dug down deep and considered it, however, it all made perfect sense. He had to admit that at least part of it was him being an oblivious idiot, that much was certainly clear, but when it came down to it, he just wasn't all that bothered about romance. Or at least he hadn't been, until the memories of kissing Scorpius resurfaced, and now he found he could think of little else.

It wasn't at all that Scorpius was a boy, either. Somehow that just didn't matter at all, didn't even factor into his realisation. He just liked people for who they were, and seldom at that. He had to admit that it felt a little strange, but such was the way of new things. The wheelchair had felt pretty weird at first, too, but he had adjusted. He would adjust to this, too.

Whether or not he would ever adjust to the way he felt for Scorpius was a different matter. It invaded almost every thought he had, pushing out everything else until he thought he was losing his mind. He wasn't sure how the hell he way meant to feel. He had never felt anything so strongly for another person in his life, and now he was lost, drowning in a sea of feelings and emotions that were entirely unfamiliar to him.

After a little while, the atmosphere in the room began to feel stifling, as people continued to clap him on the shoulder and congratulate him on his bravery. He didn't have the heart to tell them that what he had done hadn't been bravery, it had just seemed like the right thing to do. Not to mention that he cared about Scorpius, and wanted to protect him, however much the other boy detested him. It wasn't his inner Gryffindor coming out at last, as Ron insisted. It was just Albus, doing what he seemed to be doing more and more lately; saving other people's lives at his own expense.

"Wanna get out of here?" Lily said, winking at him. Albus breathed out a sigh of relief as she wheeled him out of the room, loudly declaring that he had to pee.

"You have no idea how much," Albus replied once they were out of the room, sick of the way everyone was bending down to talk to him like he was a child, "Although you didn't have to make my exit quite so forceful."

"You're in a wheelchair, no one's going to care if you're gone for ages," She said as she deftly opened the back door and directed Albus to the back porch, where the pair of them sat soaking up the summer sun and enjoying the gentle breeze as it rustled through the trees, giving everything an air of solitude and tranquility that was most unusual in the Potter household.

"Thanks for this, Lils," He said, grinning as he watched the butterflies ambling lackadaisically across the flowerbeds and off into the bright blue sky.

"No problem, bro," She said, closing her eyes, "You're alright, though? Really?"

"I'll be fine, don't you worry about me," Albus insisted, "Worrying's my job, as the older brother."

"Well, there's no need for that," Lily said, opening one eye just so she could raise her eyebrow at him, "I'm underage, and as such completely useless."

"Come on, it's for your own safety," Albus said, "You're not useless, you're probably a hell of a lot more useful than me as it is, it's just that you don't know advanced enough magic for mum and dad to just send you out into the world to fight enemies and stuff."

"And stuff?" Lily giggled, "Like what?"

"You know, Apparition," Albus said, frowning, "Guess I won't be taking my test any time soon."

"You can still Apparate," Lily pointed out, "It just wouldn't be legal."

"You could do magic right now," Albus replied, "But can you imagine Mum's face when the Ministry come calling?"

"Of course you'd snitch on me," Lily said, sticking her tongue out.

There was a lull in conversation then, as the pair of them both basked in the peaceful atmosphere, but Albus had a burning question.

"Lily, what's – Scorpius, has he been – is he -" Somehow he couldn't quite get the words out.

"He's been as much of an asshole as usual, yes," Lily said, "And he's been even mopier than usual, which I didn't think possible. But I think he feels bad, that you jumped in front of that spell that was meant for him."

"Why would he feel bad?" Albus wondered aloud, "Surely he'd rather I got hurt than him."

"Albus," Lily rolled her eyes, "He obviously still cares about you. That's why."

"Don't say that." Albus crossed his arms, feeling impossible hope rise in his chest only to be immediately crushed by the reality of the situation.

"Okay, well, I don't know that for absolute certain," Lily admitted, waving a hand absently, "But you pretty much saved his life. Of course he's grateful, even if he's probably just going to be a dick about it."

"I guess," Albus sighed, shivering slightly as a grey cloud crossed over the sun. If he was somehow even more pretentious than he already considered himself, he would think that the sun represented his hope, his feelings, all the good things in his life, and the cloud was a metaphor for the way his life was really going. Instead he was just cold, and bitter, and angry at the world, but mostly angry at Scorpius, for existing and for dragging him into this mess.

"You know he Apparated the two of you out there, right?" Lily asked, peering far too curiously at Albus.

"Wait, really?" He knew he had to have gotten out of the situation somehow, but for some reason it had never crossed his mind that it could have been Scorpius. It made sense, though. If it weren't for him, he would probably be dead, or worse.

"Yep, he Apparated the two of you straight to St. Mungo's. Apparently you were unconscious and bleeding everywhere, you caused quite a scene."

"Good," Albus grumbled, kicking at the wheelchair and trying to ignore the pains it sent up his leg.

"So… He does still care about you," Lily continued as if he'd never spoken, "He might not want to admit it."

"Or perhaps it's just basic human decency," Albus replied scathingly, stamping down the hope he felt once more.

"Fine, if you insist," Lily said, getting back to her feet, "Want me to get you a drink or anything?"

"Yeah, sure, I'd love – " He began, only to be interrupted by the reappearance of his brother, who he had last seen trying and utterly failing to impress Hugo with his magic tricks.

"Guys, Dad's back!" He breathed, practically grinning from ear to ear.

"And he's alright?" Lily asked.

"He's fine, now come on, he wants to talk to us all in the dining room." James glanced at Albus, before rushing over to help him with his wheelchair, "Jeez, this is heavier than I thought it'd be."

When they reached the room, only his parents and his Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione were inside, talking fiercely amongst themselves. The second they noticed James, Albus, and Lily, however, they shut up. Their expressions were solemn, and Albus had the impression he wouldn't like to hear what his father had to say.

Within minutes, the room was full to bursting with Albus' relatives, as well as other members of the Order including Professor Longbottom and Professor Lovegood, who both smiled and waved in Albus' direction. Scorpius was, as always, with his parents, as far away from Albus as he could physically be without it being too obvious. Albus refused to let it get to him, however, refused to let himself be the pathetic, lovesick fool he'd read about in so many books and seen in so many movies.

"So?" Draco asked, clearing his throat to speak above the cacophony of noise "What's all this about?"

"Right," Harry nodded, more to himself than to anybody else. Albus gave him a quick thumbs-up, and he smiled, "Today I went to try and find the Pureblood Knight's base of operations, since they moved after last week's… Incident."

Everyone turned to look in Albus' direction and he blushed, but thankfully Harry had their full attention.

"I had some pretty reliable intel from a source claiming to be in the Pureblood Knights and so I… Went to check it out." Harry sat back and let the protests and complaints of his extended family wash over him, "Yes, I know, it was dumb, it could have been a trap, but I got lucky."

Muttered conversations rippled through the room and Albus felt his blood run cold at the thought of his father being in a situation even remotely similar to his. He knew what his father had been through when he was younger, but he seemed to think it made him immune to the struggle against the Pureblood Knights, which it certainly didn't.

"I didn't dare to stay for too long," Harry continued, once he had the room's full attention, "but their security is actually pretty lousy, and I overheard a few useful things before I decided to hightail it out of there. I left my mark, of course; a nice little fire. Shouldn't cause too much damage, but enough to inconvenience them."

"So what do we do now?" Ron asked as everyone murmured in agreement.

"We make a plan of action." Harry said, "I doubt we'll be getting much sleep tonight."

"Just like the good old days," Professor Longbottom said, his expression grim, "But you know we'll be here, if you need us."

Harry nodded solemnly. Albus could only imagine how much the hopes and expectations of those gathered were weighing down on him. He had had a taste of that himself at Hogwarts, and had decided that leadership was not for him, but his father accepted it as merely a fact of life. It had been thrust upon him at such a young age, and now, Albus supposed, he knew how to do little else. It was what made him an excellent Head Auror, and an excellent father when he and his siblings had been younger and misbehaving.

"For now, though, let's call it a day." Harry said, adjourning the meeting, "Go home, spend time with your families, let them all know how much you love them. As soon as we can, we fight back."

Albus was beginning to feel pretty sleepy from the pain draught the Mediwizards had given him before he left St. Mungo's, so he wheeled himself out of the room and up the stairs; one of the perks of being a wizard, he supposed. As he shoved his door open and went inside, he frowned at the sight of Scorpius' things spread across his bed and across the floor, and everything finally came crashing down around him.

He loved Scorpius. He'd been thinking about it for the past few days, and had realised that no other word came even close to expressing how Albus felt about him. He had loved Scorpius for a long time, but this was new, and terrifying, and he was far too small, and most of all, Scorpius hated him, but he vowed then and there to do something about it.

Scorpius couldn't hate him forever, after all. Hate was almost as strong a word as love. Albus just had to break his walls down, to make him remember all of the good times they had had, and luckily he had all summer to do so.


	44. If You Hate Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another chapter already? wow! say thanks to my sleep schedule for waking me up at half five and my insatiable desire to write. if it doesn't make any sense, then i apologise, but in my sleep deprived state i'm quite happy with it.
> 
> this is just an interlude, hence why i managed to write it so quickly and why it's so short. it's from scorpius' pov, and is named after the song 'if you hate me' by summer camp. enjoy!!
> 
> (and remember, im doing nanowrimo, so if you wanna follow me there and see my progress, i'm buzzybeeforever!)

"Now I'm looking at you, and it's tearing me up that you won't be mine"

If there was anything that Scorpius hated right now, more than anything else in the whole damn world, it was himself. It was a deep, intense loathing, one that seemed to permeate every aspect of his life, everything he did or said or thought about, and never more than right now, after Albus had so selflessly saved his life.

He hadn't asked for him to, had never wanted him to, but that was just Albus. He was selfless, he was goodness personified, and Scorpius hated that, too, almost as much as he still loved him. That one glimpse he had had of him in the hospital bed, swamped by sheets and looking so small, had nearly destroyed him, especially when Albus had seen him and started sobbing uncontrollably.

These past few months had been the worst of his life, which was really saying something, considering all that had happened in his life, but he didn't regret what he had done. He had done it to keep Albus safe, to protect him from the knowledge that Scorpius simply couldn't reveal under any circumstances.

They had also been the loneliest, but that was nothing he wasn't already used to. As an only child, he had had plenty of time to himself, and he had adjusted back to it easily. It was always too easy for him to find comfort in solitude, no matter how much he sometimes wished fervently that he had never said what he had, that he had just said the rumours were false, and left it at that.

But Scorpius had never been the best at rational decision making, something which was becoming ever more abundantly clear.

While Albus had been in the hospital, and Scorpius had spent his time moping around the house and trying not to feel to guilty for being the one to cause him to be in that position, Rose and Lily had of course taken it upon themselves to talk some sense into them, but it just wasn't going to happen, no matter how much they fluttered their eyelashes or threatened to hex him into oblivion.

"But he obviously still cares about you!" Lily whined as the two of them sat at the breakfast table one day. Scorpius glared at her above his cup of tea.

"Then that's his own fault," He muttered darkly.

"You still love him, though," She said softly. Scorpius glanced around to make sure they were alone, which somewhat surprisingly and unfortunately, they were.

"Who cares?" He asked, grimacing and regretting having ever gotten out of bed. He could definitely wait for Albus to return, as sharing a room with him had been perhaps the worst experience of his entire life, one he didn't wish to repeat.

"I care!" Lily hissed, "And you should care, too. In fact, I know you do. You wouldn't have Apparated him out of there, otherwise."

"I Apparated him out of there because I'm not a terrible person," Scorpius defended, getting to his feet and storming out of the room before Lily had another chance to make him feel bad, to make him try and evaluate his feelings. Yes, of course he had rescued Albus because he cared about him, but he could almost convince himself that it had just been self-preservation. He didn't think Harry Potter would thank him for having one of his sons killed, after all.

Rose was no better, of course. She made it quite clear that she didn't hold Scorpius in much regard, and she had no qualms at all about trying to make his life a living hell at all times, popping up unexpectedly to try and convince him to listen to her, which he had stupidly agreed to do just once. Never again.

"You're an idiot, Scorpius Malfoy," She said, whacking him over the head with the heavy tome she just happened to have in her hand at that moment. They were in the corner of the living room, and no one even noticed when she hit him. Of course.

"Ouch – Rose, what the hell?" Scorpius demanded, rubbing at his head.

"I just thought since I couldn't talk sense into you, a good head injury might do the trick," She shrugged, "Clearly I was wrong."

"Well, I'm sorry," Scorpius replied, his tone dripping with sarcasm, "You know I don't want to talk about this."

"Tough," She said harshly, "You forfeited any right not to 'talk about this' when you decided to break off the best friendship my cousin had ever had and is probably ever going to have, just because you're a stubborn fool and you think you know best, which recent events are telling me you clearly don't!"

"I don't know what you want me to say," Scorpius said, "How many times can I say I'm sorry?"

"As many times as it takes you to fix this bloody situation!" She crossed her arms then and glared at him, as the rest of the room continued to pay them no mind, "And you're going to fix it, if I have anything to do with it."

"I hate to inform you, Rose, but you don't have anything to do with it!" Scorpius hissed, trying to reign in the anger he was beginning to feel, "This is between Albus and me, and if I want to make things right, then I will. But I don't! I can't!"

"What are you going to do then, Scorpius?" She demanded, "Are you just going to keep ignoring the problem until it goes away? Because it isn't going to. When Albus comes back, you and him are going to have to live together and share a room for the rest of the summer, and you and I both know that that's not going to be easy for you. I know how hard it was after just a couple of days."

"I don't know what you expect me to do," Scorpius admitted. The guilt he had felt for the past week was back and fiercer than ever.

"I just wish you would at least consider talking to him, apologising," She said, "Before it's too late. No, I'm not suggesting you become best buddies again, I know how hard that would be on you, and I also know that how you feel is unlikely to go away anytime soon, but Albus is coming back tomorrow, remember, and if you apologise, then at least -"

"No." Scorpius said simply, getting to his feet, "I'm sorry, Rose, I just – I can't. Not right now. Maybe not ever."

With that he was gone, storming out of the room and heading upstairs. It was only once he reached Albus' room and sat down on the bed that he realised he would likely find no peace here, either. The room was like one constant, massive reminder of how much he had screwed up, of how irreversible his mistakes were. He remembered all of the promises he and Albus had made to each other of what they were going to do together that summer, and how all of those promises had simply gone to waste.

The next day Albus returned, and with it came all of Scorpius' self-loathing and bitter regret, and combined with a lack of sleep, he knew the day wasn't going to be easy. At Albus' return party, he stayed out of the way as much as possible, talking to his parents and trying his hardest to avoid Rose and Lily. He couldn't help the way his eyes seemed to drift automatically to Albus, to the wheelchair that was all his fault.

The Order meeting in the dining room was somehow worse, as he tried to clamp down the sheer terror that arose in him at the thought of the Pureblood Knights while also trying to avoid Albus, to try not to think of him, to think only of the mission at hand.

And when he went upstairs, hoping to avoid the world, and Albus was in there, in bed with a book in his hand, that really was too much to handle. In the brief glance Scorpius had of him, he looked tired, with deep bags under his eyes, his expression void of its usual brightness and happiness, and Scorpius just knew that it was all his fault.

"Hi," Albus said, in barely more than a whisper. Scorpius ignored him and went over to his own bed, clearing it of all the books and clothes that had accumulated there over the day.

From the other bed, Albus sighed. Scorpius continued to try his best to pretend that he didn't exist, that if he tried hard enough, he might be able to block out all thoughts of him.

"You can't keep ignoring me forever, you know." Albus said, his tone almost smug.

Scorpius decided that he could, and left, his heart aching with the longing he hardly ever dared to let himself feel as he did so.

He hid in the garden, away from sight, with a book, but he couldn't concentrate on it. He could only consider how terrible everything was, and how things couldn't get any better.

Albus might have been trying to act nonchalant, as if he wasn't bothered by the things Scorpius had said or done, but Scorpius knew, deep down, that it was too late to try and fix any rift between them, that some scars could simply never be healed. Albus was only trying to talk to him because that was simply the way he was.

He was unfailingly kind, and it broke Scorpius' heart. Because if Albus didn't hate Scorpius as much as Scorpius hated himself, then it would be a miracle. Albus would never be his, and that was the reality he was going to have to face, that he had already tried to face with disastrous consequences.

In the end, he stayed out until the sky began to darken, and when he returned to the room he shared with Albus, the other boy was fast asleep with the lights on, his book still half open across his chest. Scorpius allowed himself a second or two just to look at the planes and curves of his face, of the way his hair fell across the pillow, but no more.

If he was going to get through this summer unscathed, then he was just going to have to suppress those feelings. It wasn't an ideal solution, and Scorpius knew that the way he felt wasn't going to just fade away, but it was the only option he had left.


	45. My House

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm writing these chapters at practically the speed of light i love it, and i hope you're loving it too. nanowrimo's great (don't forget to add me as a buddy! i'm buzzybeeforever!)
> 
> this chapter is named after the song 'my house' by pvris, and aptly so as the whole thing takes place in the potter household. enjoy!

"Never thought that I would feel like this; such a mess when I'm in your presence"

Trying to get through to Scorpius was more difficult than Albus ever could have imagined. He might as well have been a block of marble, a cold, hard, unfeeling statue, for all the notice he seemed to pay Albus. Despite the fact that they shared a room, Albus had never actually seen him come in or out of the room, though he was always there on the infrequent occasion that Albus woke in the night. He always allowed himself a second or two to admire him, the softness of his features when not permanently set in a scowl, his chest rising and falling slowly, but never any more time than that.

Scorpius definitely had some weird kind of sixth sense for when Albus was around; but then again, his wheels squeaked wherever he went, and since it was supposedly only a temporary deal he hadn't yet bothered to fix them. He resolved to change that immediately when he got the chance, but his days were so filled up with overthinking and planning with the Order and helping out around the house and garden that by the time his head hit the pillow in the evening, he had barely registered that yet another day had passed.

Days had passed, and he was still no closer to getting through to Scorpius. He was already on the verge of giving up, yet he had barely even started. He knew he had to keep trying, knew that one day he might be able to break through the barriers that Scorpius had built up around himself to keep Albus out, but frankly he didn't know where to start, or what the right thing to say was, or if he should mention the way he felt.

Even the adults in the house had begun to notice that something was wrong. Albus was just surprised that it had taken them so long, considering that he and Scorpius sat at opposite ends of the dining table and were never to be seen in the same room during the day. In the evenings, when the family would chill out in the living room, they always sat as far away from each other as was physically possible.

One morning, when Albus was out in the garden, sitting on the grass and half-heartedly reading the philosophy book that Scorpius had given him, trying to forget that it was he who had given it to him, he was startled by his mother coming to sit down next to him.

"Morning, Albus," She said cheerily, pulling out her own book. Suspicious, Albus continued to read, glancing her way every few seconds.

"Good morning..." He replied eventually, shrugging at the oddity of the situation and returning to his futile attempts to try and understand metaphysics.

"So, Albus, we should talk." Ginny said a little while later, once Albus had once again gotten lost in the book. Hesitantly, he placed the book on the grass and turned to face her.

"We should?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes," She said sternly, her voice all motherly concern, "I just want to make sure that everything's alright with you."

"You mean, apart from being in a wheelchair?" He asked as she glared at him.

"Don't take that tone with me, young man," She warned, admonishing him before dissolving into a fit of giggles that had Albus rather taken aback, "I'm sorry, it's so rare that I get to act like a mother anymore, now you three are all so grown up."

"Right..." Albus said, frowning, "Why are you so curious about me all of a sudden? You know I'm fine, and you know I'd tell you otherwise."

"You're probably right, it's just… Is everything alright between you and Scorpius?" She asked, her forehead creased with worry. Albus had to try not to react to the jolt of nervousness that went through him at the mention of Scorpius' name. Merlin, he really was pathetic.

"Everything's fine, Mum," He said, attempting to smile a wide and probably utterly unconvincing smile.

"I might be your mother, but I'm not a complete idiot, you know," She replied, chuckling, "but even I can tell that something's up. I don't think I've seen the two of you together since we got here. What happened? You two used to be such good friends, your father and I were so happy that the two of you had managed to break away from your legacies, but now… It just seems like you were never friends at all."

"I don't want to talk about it," Albus grumbled, feeling tears inexplicably well up in the corners of his eyes, which he tried to furtively wipe away with the sleeve of his shirt. When his mother handed him a tissue and patted him on the shoulder, it was quite a struggle to keep it together.

"That's okay," His mother soothed as he wiped his eyes, feeling like an idiot, "We don't have to talk about it now, or ever, I just hate to see you upset."

"Gross," Albus said, shoving the tissue into his pocket, "And seriously, I'm fine, this was just… A temporary blip."

"I see," Ginny nodded, "And you know that if you ever have another… temporary blip… you can always come to me. Or to your father, if you get really desperate."

"Thanks mum," Albus laughed, "I appreciate it."

"You'd damn well better, Albus Potter." She said sternly, "Now, you promised you'd help around the garden, and the flowerbeds are looking terrible. Plus, it might help clear your head a little, I think that's why your Grandma Weasley enjoys it so much. Off you go."

"Fine," Albus muttered, "Being a normal mum doesn't suit you, by the way."

"That doesn't mean I can't try," She said, smiling, "Now, you let me know if Scorpius is ever mean to you, alright? I still have a trick or two up my sleeve, and that bat bogey hex of mine never gets old."

"Mum, please!" Albus snorted with laughter as Ginny got to her feet and headed back inside the house, "You're such an embarrassment!"

"I do try!" Ginny called as she disappeared into the house. Albus smiled to himself; he really did take his mum for granted sometimes. Sighing and realising that she was right, he closed his book and shuffled over to the flowerbeds, where he hoped the monotonous actions of planting and replanting and clearing and potting might help clear his mind, just for a little while.

* * *

The next morning started out like any other Monday morning in the Potter household with the Weasley-Grangers and the Malfoys, but by the end of the day things had fallen apart, and spectacularly so.

Albus was in the kitchen, a little later than usual as he had somehow managed to oversleep, brewing his coffee and trying not to fall asleep, which he was prone to doing at random intervals if he didn't get the coffee into his system soon enough.

It was then that Scorpius sauntered into the room, as if completely oblivious of Albus' presence. Humming to himself, he went to get a bowl out of the cupboard, when he spotted Albus and froze, his eyes wide, his arm half-outstretched in front of him. Albus felt his cheeks heat up and turned back around, continuing to pour the coffee and trying to act like the sight of him hadn't affected him quite so much.

"Morning," He said non-committally, not expecting any sort of response. His words were punctuated by a wide yawn at the end, which just made him blush even more.

"Morning, Al," Scorpius mumbled in response, followed by a sudden, uttered, "shit!"

Albus' heart jumped right up into his throat as he wheeled around to face him, trying to reign in his emotions as fast as he possibly could.

"You -" Albus began, grinning.

"Shut up."

"See, I was right, you can't-" Albus continued, gradually wheeling himself closer and closer to Scorpius, who had his arms crossed in front of him and was glowering fiercely as he paced around the room, looking anywhere but at Albus.

"Shut up!" He shouted.

Albus sighed and shook his head as he spoke, "All I'm saying is, you can't ignore me forever, we both know it."

"I can, and I will," Scorpius muttered, glancing up at Albus for a fleeting second, grey eyes meeting emerald, and then he was gone as quickly as he had appeared, apparently having given up on any notion of having breakfast.

Feeling rather smug, Albus turned back to drink his coffee, though he already felt more alert than he had in days.

His good mood wasn't to last, however.

After yet another pleasant morning spent reading in the garden, revelling in the solitude, his brain aching from trying to wrap his head around the topics introduced in his book, Albus headed back inside to get some food.

He was met by a rather eerie silence. Instead of the usual hustle and bustle of the house at mealtimes, when the entire household stuffed themselves into the kitchen or dining room and fought over the best food, there was no one in sight, no kitchen sink piled high with dirty dishes, no half empty fridge.

Feeling more than a little freaked out, Albus headed out into the hall, where he heard loud, angry voices coming from upstairs, which did nothing to ease the panic that was only growing more and more prominent with every passing second. Apprehensively, with his palms sweating, he headed upstairs, his wand in his hand just in case, even though he knew he would be equally capable without it.

When he reached the top of the stairs, he breathed out a sigh of relief at the sight of some familiar figures, who were for some reason crammed into his father's office and spilling out into the corridor, where Lily, Rose, Hugo and Scorpius sat, throwing a ball between themselves and wearing identical expressions of worry.

"What's going on?" Albus asked, as the shouting within the room continued. When she saw him, Lily jumped to her feet and hugged Albus, tightly.

"It's Dad… And Uncle Ron… And Mr. Malfoy… And, Professor Longbottom, they all… They..." She paused, biting her lip.

"What happened, Lily?" Albus asked gently, even though his blood had gone cold at the very mention of his father. His sister just shook her head as tears welled in her eyes.

"They went on a mission," Rose said, throwing the ball to Hugo and getting to her feet, "which, of course, they didn't tell anybody about. Ginny just found the letter your dad left us in the study and the shouted brought us all up here."

"I can't believe this," Albus said, not quite fully comprehending what he was hearing, as Lily went to sit back down next to Hugo, her expression sombre. "When did they leave? When are they getting back?"

"That's the thing..." Rose frowned, glancing over to the study where the arguments were continuing without cease, "It was just meant to be a quick, in out mission. They should have been back two and a half hours ago. They're arguing over what to do. Mum wants to check in St. Mungo's, your mum wants to go right after them, Mrs. Malfoy just wants to wait it out, and grandma and grandpa are freaking out."

"This doesn't feel real," Albus said, his mind a dull fog through which the occasional jolt of panic or worry worked its way through. He felt sick to his stomach, and he didn't realise his hands were trembling until Rose took his wand from him and placed it in his pocket before squeezing his hand in a reassuring gesture.

"I know," She agreed, "but we just have to keep faith, believe that they'll come back soon. You might've been better staying in the garden."

Albus smirked, but it wasn't sincere, it was more him trying to hold himself together with humour, a tried and tested technique. He couldn't help but admire Rose's stoicism, the way she stood tall and proud throughout it all like a ship in a storm, and how even if she did break, she didn't let it break her.

"So now we wait." Albus said, a simple statement. Rose nodded.

"And now we wait."

"Food?" Albus asked. She grinned and nodded once more.

"Wait here," She said, before hurrying off downstairs. Albus got his book back out as he waited, pointedly ignoring Scorpius, who was just ignoring everybody and looking miserable. Moments later, Rose returned, her arms piled high with food as several dishes floated along beside her, which the five of them tucked into happily.

He and Scorpius still paid each other no mind, or at least they tried to, but it was difficult and awkward when they both wanted the same bit of food and some silent, angry compromise had to be reached.

Eventually the adults caught wind of the impromptu feast happening in the hallway and came to join them, thankfully ceasing their bickering for the time being. It was a nice, if peculiar, affair, even with the weight of what was happening hanging above them all like some dark, ominous cloud.

From then on, time seemed to slow to almost a standstill. Each moment was long and agonising as Albus waited for his father to come home, waited for confirmation that he was safe and alive and that his mission was at least partly successful. Even his book couldn't keep him occupied, and so he ditched it in favour of watching an American comedy on the TV with Lily, which managed to distract him for a little while.

Sometime in the mid-afternoon, as Albus was searching through the fridge for something else to eat, he heard several loud and familiar cracks, and knew immediately that all hope was not lost. He heard several shouts and exclamations and went as quickly as he could to the entrance of the house, where the four men stood, looking a sight all bruised and bloodied. Harry's glasses were smashed, and the remaining pieces of Ron's wand were in his hands.

When Ginny saw them, she dropped the cup she had been holding, which smashed to pieces on the ground, before running over to hug her brother briefly and embrace her husband, sobbing into his chest. Hermione and Astoria reacted in much the same way, while everyone else stood around demanding to know exactly what had happened to get them into this state.

Albus could do nothing more than watch on silently as the scene unfolded before him, as Lily sobbed and went to join their parents, as James caught sight of Harry and stormed out of the hallway and into the kitchen, slamming the door shut behind him, as Scorpius clung onto both his parents, his baby sister in his arms.

"Come on, let's go sit down, you four have a lot of explaining to do," Ginny said once she had ascertained that none of their injuries needed immediate attention, herding them into the room, her tone at once stern and caring. Once they were all inside, Albus followed them, hovering hesitantly by the door.

"Is James coming back?" He asked his mum as she went to get them each a cup of tea.

"I don't know, I think he's just mad he couldn't go with them," She said, shrugging and shaking her head, "He'll come around. I just hope your father can explain himself well enough."

A little while later, once everybody was seated and had a hot drink, the four men began to explain their story, after much glowering from their wives. Albus wasn't sure he was ready to hear what had happened; at night he sometimes still had nightmares of his encounters with the Pureblood Knights, and he didn't know whether he could handle knowing even more about them and their blatant disregard for the lives of others.

"First of all," Harry began, briefly making eye contact with everybody in the room. When his eyes reached Albus, he smiled a sad smile before continuing, "I think we're all very sorry that we didn't tell you all about this. We received the information late last night, and we realised the only possible course of action was to leave as soon as possible."

He glanced towards Ron, who coughed awkwardly before picking up where Harry left off, "It was the perfect opportunity to infiltrate one of their bases, to arrest several of their lower-ranking members who would be more willing to give up information, but it was a trap. They knew we were coming."

The room fell into a hushed, shocked silence. Albus could hardly believe what he was hearing, could hardly believe it was true. Everyone eyed each other anxiously, none of them quite willing to believe.

"And?" Ginny asked, cradling her cup of tea like her life depended on it.

"And we were ambushed," Harry said, frowning. The scars on his cheek and forehead were somehow all the more prominent when paired with the mud and blood smeared across his face and robes, "It was only due to Draco's quick thinking that we got out unscathed at all."

Draco simply shrugged, like it was no big deal, but when Ginny and Hermione both sprang to their feet and hugged him, he blushed and smiled to himself. Astoria looked proud, despite the obvious worry she felt. Even Scorpius looked a little better at the prospect of his father being the hero of the day. It was about time, after all.

"What took you all so long, then?" Astoria asked, rocking the baby in her arms gently to sleep.

"We went to go arrest the guy who told us this information, but he too had backup, so we had to get ourselves out of that mess, on top of everything else," Professor Longbottom chuckled to himself, trying to make light of what was clearly a horrendous situation. Albus couldn't blame him; he probably would have done the same.

"Neville's right, things got… Pretty messy." Ron cringed and gazed longingly at the broken pieces of his wand.

"But, as you can see, we made it out alright," Harry nodded in Ron's direction and fiddled with his own shattered glasses, "and we even managed to make several arrests. Hopefully at least one of them'll be willing to talk."

"I wouldn't define any of this as 'alright'," Ginny said, waving her hands frantically in their direction, "but I'm glad you all made it home. Now, go upstairs and get cleaned up. I expect to see you all intact at the dinner table."

"Of course, of course, we're going," Harry pulled himself to his feet, far more slowly than he would otherwise have done, and pecked his wife on the cheek before limping out of the room, the three others following behind, all of them quite clearly injured in some shape or form.

"I can't believe this!" Rose muttered, pacing back and forth in front of Albus once nearly everyone else had left. In the corner of the room, Astoria was nursing Cassie and humming to herself, apparently reassured of her husband's health.

"Can't believe what?" Albus asked uncertainly, hoping his question wasn't too incendiary for her.

Thankfully she managed to stay relatively calm as she responded, "That Dad and the others would be so stupid! They're grown men, two of them are Aurors, you'd think they'd know better than to go off gallivanting to the enemy like they did when they were back at Hogwarts! One day they're going to get themselves killed, and I'm not sure how sorry I'll be!"

"Rose, please, you're overreacting," Albus grabbed her hand as she breezed past and squeezed it. She stopped and glared at him, her shoulders slumping.

"You're right, I am," She flopped down into the nearest seat, "I guess I just… Wish they'd spared a thought or two for us back here, going crazy wondering where the hell they are or, hell, if they're even alive!"

"I suspect they'll learn their lessons soon enough," Albus said, "Especially if Mum has anything to do with it."

"You're right," Rose winced, "I dread to think what your mum has up her sleeve."

Albus was going to make a scathing comment in response, but was stopped short by something flying into the window with a loud thud. He almost fell right out of his chair as Rose leapt to her feet, her wand at the ready. Glancing at Astoria to make sure that the baby was alright, she tiptoed towards the window.

"Oh, thank Merlin," She breathed once she was close enough to ascertain the source of the news, "It's only an owl, and a rather idiotic one at that.

She pulled open the window and swiftly retrieved the owl, a small but proud looking thing who regarded Rose harshly as she straightened its wings and gently pulled the letter from its leg, before nipping her on the wrist and flying right back out, neatly dodging the glass this time.

Rose frowned as she scanned the front of the letter before turning and heading towards the other side of the room, "Mrs. Malfoy, this is addressed to you and Mr. Malfoy."

"Really?" Astoria took the letter and broke open the wax seal, "We weren't expecting anything..."

As her eyes flew down the page, she seemed to turn several shades paler, and her hands began to shake, "I'm sorry, I really have to go, could you look after Cassie for a little while?"

Rose obliged and took the baby as Astoria fled the room, shouting for Draco in a shrill, high-pitched voice. She turned to glance at Albus, her eyes wide, but he could do nothing more than shrug in response.

Nobody came back to look after the baby, so Albus and Rose played with Cassie as they idly speculated what exactly the contents of the letter were. When dinner came, and there was still no sign of any of the Malfoys, Rose went to put Cassie in her cot, and they all sat down at the table.

Harry and Ron looked much better than they had done before, all signs of injury no doubt magicked away and looking refreshed even so soon after their ordeal, but Draco was notably absent, as were Astoria and Scorpius. Professor Longbottom had no doubt gone home to his own family, but his absence could far more easily be explained.

"Where's Scorpius?" Lily asked, glancing about the table as she served herself a helping of mashed potato, "And his parents?"

Harry and Ron glanced at each other, expressions sombre. It seemed that neither of them wanted to speak first, but eventually, Harry relented with a pointed glare in Ron's direction.

"I'm afraid they received some rather bad news," Harry announced as the table erupted in whispers. Rose and Albus locked eyes, and Albus couldn't help but feel guilty for all of their earlier speculation, which had grown increasingly incredulous and had resulted in a lot of giggles.

"Draco's mother, Narcissa, died at her home in Germany," Harry's voice was thick with tears as he continued, "They're all upstairs now, as I figured they would need some space, and I urge you all to do the same for the next few days. I'm rather shocked myself – if it weren't for Narcissa, I wouldn't be here right now, and Voldemort would have won the war. I'm eternally grateful for what she did, even if it was to protect her son, but I can understand that now."

The entire table was stunned into silence. Albus didn't know what to say or think. Scorpius had always spoken very fondly of his grandma, and summers spent with her in Germany. He had never mentioned his grandfather, but from the little snippet that Albus had heard over the years, that was probably for the best.

Part of him ached to go upstairs and help Scorpius through this. Albus knew how much he would be hurting, and how much he would need the support of his best friend, but they weren't best friends anymore, and Scorpius certainly wouldn't appreciate his attempts to help, which would no doubt be unhelpful anyway.

Feeling lethargic and bone-weary from the stresses of the day, Albus headed straight to bed after helping with the dishes. Rather unfortunately, Scorpius was in there, sat on the bed and staring off into space, his expression vacant as he twiddled his thumbs absently in front of him. Albus opened his mouth to say something, say anything, but nothing he could think of would have sounded sincere enough, so he got ready for bed in silence.

Once he was in bed, he found he could no longer keep quiet. Even if Scorpius hated him, even if he was intent on ignoring him, it was clear that he was in pain, and surely a friendly word, even if it was from Albus, would count for something.

"I'm sorry," He said, his voice cracking as he spoke in barely above a whisper.

Scorpius said nothing, but Albus hadn't expected anything else.

"You always spoke so fondly of her," He continued, "And I know you're not talking to me, and I know we're not friends anymore, but I hate the thought of anyone hurting in silence so… I'm here. If you need me, or whatever."

"Thank you." Scorpius murmured, so quietly that Albus had to strain just to make out those two short words, but they were all that he needed. Seconds later, Scorpius was under the covers, facing away from Albus, but he didn't mind.

It was a small step, and one that Albus wished with every part of him hadn't had to happen, but it was hopefully a small step in the right direction. Because even as Scorpius was lying facing away from him, his breathing gradually slowing, Albus couldn't help but wish he was over there with him, comforting him, helping him to feel whole again. He ached with the very need of it, but instead he turned around, his back to Scorpius, and tried his best to fall asleep. It was a long time coming, after what had been one of the most mentally draining days of his entire life.

He only hoped that when he woke up, Scorpius might just feel a little more willing to talk to him again.


	46. Better Off Without You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another quick update! this chapter is named after the song 'better off without you' by summer camp. it was the first song of theirs i ever listened to so it holds a special place in my heart. i hope that you enjoy it as much should you choose to listen to it.
> 
> (apologies for the relative shortness of this chapter. every chapter has a list of things i want to happen in it and it all happened quite quickly. the next few chapters should be longer and more action-packed. i hope you enjoy it nonetheless)

"He doesn't want you, can't you see? He doesn't love you, why won't you listen to me?"

As it turned out, when Albus awoke the next morning, Scorpius seemed to be making a particularly concerted effort to ignore him, so much so that Albus didn't even see him until that evening at dinner. The day was not all lost, however, as Albus managed to walk for a full thirty seconds before he had to sit down; a clear sign that things were improving, and that it wouldn't be long now before he could regain his freedom and leave the house, which was beginning to feel more and more claustrophobic with every passing day.

It wasn't until now that he had truly realised just how much he valued his freedom. It was easier to forget at Hogwarts, where he had the relative freedom of the castle and the grounds all existing in a microcosm of the wider world, but here, in his home, where he had only the choice of several rooms and the admittedly minuscule garden, he felt trapped. Sometimes the rooms and the walls surrounding the garden reminded him unpleasantly of the few hours he had spent trapped by the Pureblood Knights, though he knew the comparison was unfair.

He had his family, and by extension his friends, but without Scorpius none of it felt quite right. He felt somewhat like a stranger in his own home, having to take the utmost care at all times to stay out of Scorpius' way, to avoid making eye contact when they sat opposite each other at the dining table no matter how much he longed to. It hurt; he couldn't deny that.

What with the lack of freedom and the abundance of time he had in which to sit around and do nothing in particular that was of any use, he had time to consider his feelings for Scorpius at every angle, to consider just when those feelings might have arisen, and why it had taken him quite so long to realise them.

Albus had no doubt at all that he had taken his friendship with Scorpius for granted almost from the get go. They hadn't had the easiest start, but it had become clear around the beginning of Fourth Year that they just couldn't stay away from each other. They had too much in common, yet were just different enough, that their friendship was natural, it was right; as if the stars had aligned just at the right time to bring them together.

But Albus had never considered any of that. He had just liked having somebody to talk to, somebody who understood him and the pressures of a legacy left behind from a generation before.

Then he remembered the time he had caught Scorpius crying in the bathroom, and that had been the day he realised that he might just have found his best friend. It was only now he was beginning to understand that that could have been the day he had found his soulmate, instead, but he had ruined it all, like he always seemed to do.

He thought back to the past two years, of stolen glances and holding hands and falling asleep together, and wondered just how he could have been so blind, of how he hadn't known then that he was head over heels, despite the fact that he quite clearly had been. Scorpius had always represented something slightly more than friendship to him, but he had always just considered that to be the fact that they were best friends; not this.

Part of him knew that he couldn't keep quiet about this, not anymore, even if it might mean losing Scorpius even more than he already had, because if there was the faintest, slightest chance that something might be salvageable between them, that Scorpius might somehow feel the same, that perhaps Lily was right and he really had just been scared when he said all those terrible things, then he had to try. Even if he failed, at least he knew for certain, at least he would no longer be doubting himself and his memories every second of the day.

Unfortunately, even trying was still proving to be an impossibility. Scorpius didn't have the same limitations that Albus had, and he and Rose were often away running errands for the Order, though not nearly on quite the same scale as the feat he and Scorpius had attempted and utterly failed at.

To follow the Muggle saying, he truly was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

In his desperation, he even considered telling Rose or Lily how he felt, but the very thought of their reactions, the plans they would try to make, their expressions, put him right off the idea. For now he would just have to keep trying, and maybe even keep failing, but it was better than moping around the house and feeling sorry for himself, as even his Uncle Ron had begun to take pity on him, and that was something that nobody needed.

* * *

Over the next few days, Albus was able to use his legs more and more, until one day he managed to walk around the entire house without even feeling a little pain in his legs. He had been so overjoyed that he had proceeded to run around the house a few more times, until he was so exhausted and in so much pain that he had to lie down on the sofa for the rest of the afternoon, but he didn't care. He was over the moon; he could have floated away entirely he was so happy, so relieved.

The next day, the entire family headed to the park to celebrate, and Albus didn't even feel a little sad as he left his wheelchair in his room and skipped downstairs to side-along Apparate with his father, who was practically beaming with pride.

After the incident a few days prior, Ginny had been keeping a very close watch on her husband, as had Hermione. There was a definite tension in the house, and so Albus was desperate to get out, just to relieve it a little. Even Ginny seemed thrilled by the prospect of getting out of the house and doing something that wasn't for the Order.

"You can't make me!" Scorpius' voice floated downstairs from the top of the hall, his tone decidedly angry.

"Your mother and I think it would be best," Draco replied, keeping a calm and level voice, "we have a lot to sort out here and it would be better for you to get some fresh air."

"But she was my grandma! Why can't I help?" He demanded. Downstairs, the family all pointedly ignored glancing up, but it was quite obvious that they were all eavesdropping. Albus could see where Scorpius was coming from; he too would want to stay and help, but he also knew that getting away from it all was often the best and the healthiest course of action, not that Scorpius would see his point of view.

"Because we don't want to burden you with this," Draco replied, his sigh obvious even from where Albus was standing, "because you're young and you deserve to spend a few hours at the park with your friends, Scorpius. We can handle this here, alright?"

"Fine!" Scorpius said as he turned and stomped down the stairs. Albus could see the tears in the corner of his eyes as he sniffed and said, "Well? Are we going or not?"

"Come on, let's go," Harry announced, before muttering under his breath, "before it's too late..."

They Apparated to a relatively secluded spot in the park, where they would be obscured by the trees. Thankfully, the Muggles were just as oblivious as always as the Potter family and co headed towards a nice spot out in the open for a picnic. It was that rare kind of sunny day where the sun was blazing down, and everything in the world just felt right.

"I'm so glad we came out here," Albus said, practically beaming as the picnic blanket was laid down and the food set out. This was what he expected his summer to be like, not holed up in that house, and he was thankful that his plans were coming to fruition at last.

"Me too," Lily said, grinning rather conspiratorially at Rose as she lay all spread out on the grass, tanning herself. Rose winked slyly at Lily, but Albus caught her, and he knew that something was up.

"What are you two up to?" Albus asked, raising an eyebrow as Rose had the audacity to look horrified at his question, "Oh, come on, it's you two, you're never not up to something..."

"Maybe you're just reading too much into all of this, Albus. It wouldn't be the first time," Rose grinned smugly, giving Albus' shoulder a quick shove as she glanced about herself, "Oh, hey, who's that?"

Albus followed her gaze to two figures who were clearly approaching them from a distance. His first instinct was to panic, assuming them to be enemies, but as they came ever closer, he realising that the two figures were holding hands, and were in fact very familiar to him. Once he was certain of who they were, he leapt to his feet and hurried over to them, as fast as his legs could take him.

"Marcus! Stella! What are you guys doing here?" He hugged them each in turn. It hadn't even been that long since he had last seen them, but he had been through hell and back, and the sight of two of his very best friends was the most comforting thing he could possibly have wished for there and then.

"Lily texted us this morning," Stella said, bouncing on her heels with the excitement of it all, "Saying you were going to be here later, and well, we couldn't possibly say no, could we?"

"Well, thanks!" Albus hugged Stella once again, "I really appreciate it. What have you guys been up to?"

"Oh, you know," Marcus waved his hand about in a vague gesture of nonchalance, "The usual. Lounging around, doing nothing, avoiding doing all the work the professors gave us over this summer."

Stella nodded in agreement, her expression solemn as she said, "We hear things haven't been quite so easy for you, though, Al..."

"Yeah, things have been kind of shit," Albus shrugged, "but I refuse to think any more about that today. Come on, come sit down."

"Ooh, is there food?" Stella instantly perked up and hurried over to sit herself down in between Rose and Lily, where the three of them were no doubt gossiping amongst themselves. Scorpius sat a little way away from the rest of the group, making daisy chains as he always did, but for once, Albus refused to let himself pay the other boy any mind at all.

"You know, if you want, I can tell you all about my trip to Brazil last week," Marcus said as they joined the girls on the grass and pulled a few plates over, "if you don't want to talk about the other stuff."

"That would be great," Albus thanked him, "Spare no detail, though. I want to know what you ate for every meal, and all of the puns your uncles no doubt told you."

"Okay, but they don't translate too well into English..."

All in all, the afternoon got off to a fantastic start. Once Marcus had finished talking about his holiday, the five of them gossiped idly, making certain not to stray too close to topics that might have been dangerous, such as Scorpius, who had pulled out a book and was paying it close attention in between bites of sandwich. Not that Albus was paying him any attention, of course. He knew better than to put himself through that.

Marcus and Stella talked avidly about the holiday they were going to be taking later in the summer to Paris, and how they had both met each other's parents, and they all approved, and wasn't love absolutely the most wonderful thing in the world? Albus couldn't help but feel just a little bitter, but they were his best friends, and they deserved no less than the utmost happiness in the world, and he was just glad that they had managed to find that in each other.

Sometime later in the afternoon, dark clouds began to roll across the sky, but Albus paid them no mind, as they were still a way away. Suddenly his mother rushed over, pulling them all to their feet.

"We have to go, quickly," She hissed, shoving the picnic blanket roughly into her bag and gesturing for them all to follow her back into the trees where they had first Apparated to the park.

"Those clouds are miles away, we're fine for a little while," Albus insisted, trying to hang back.

"It's not the clouds," Ginny replied, fixing him with a serious expression. Suddenly he understood, and nodded, "It's just to be on the safe side, your father thinks he saw… Something. Always better safe than sorry."

"Of course," Albus followed after her, turning to his friends as he did so, "I'm sorry about all of this. It's kind of a given nowadays that nothing good can ever last for long."

"We get it, Al," Stella said, taking Marcus' hand, "We'd better be going anyway, let us know when you get home safe, alright?"

With a crack, the two of them were gone, and in seconds, Albus had grabbed his mother's hand, and the pair of them Apparated into the kitchen, along with the rest of the family. Harry came last, still glancing about himself cautiously as he arrived, his stance defensive.

"I'm so sorry about all of this," He said to Albus once they had ascertained that everybody was safe, "but I was right. Just as you Apparated, spells started being fired. We got out of there just in time."

"How did they find us?" Albus asked, feeling his hands tremble at his side.

Harry simply shook his head, which did little to reassure him, "I'm afraid I just don't know, but I doubt we'll be going on any more excursions any time soon. I'm sorry, Albus. I know how much you wanted this."

"It's alright, Dad," Albus said brightly, convinced that if he acted confident about it all that he might perhaps feel confident too, "it was good while it lasted. Thank you, for making it possible."

"No problem. Maybe one day..." He trailed off, sighing before rushing off to make sure that everybody else was alright.

Feeling suddenly lethargic, his legs aching, Albus headed back upstairs, hoping to sleep off a little of the weariness and disappointment that he felt. When he got to his room, however, Scorpius was in there, still with his book in hand, and Albus almost considered grabbing something random from his shelf and leaving again, but he decided that now was the time, more than ever, to talk to him.

"Hi," He began, taking a seat at the edge of the bed. Scorpius glanced up briefly, his expression almost wary, before he turned back to his book. Albus watched him carefully and couldn't help but notice the way his eyes scanned up and down but he never actually turned the page, meaning Albus' presence was distracting him from his book. Good.

"Like I've said a thousand times, you can ignore me all you want, but… I'm not going to give up." Albus stated, leaning forwards ever so slightly. Scorpius continued intently reading the same page over and over, before he sighed and flung the book onto the bed. He rose to his feet and faced Albus, raising his eyebrow.

"Why?" He asked. Albus' breath caught in his throat; could this be it? His chance to tell Scorpius how he felt? But, oh Merlin, his palms were sweating, and he wasn't ready, and he had a whole speech planned out in his head but it had gone, along with the rest of his coherent thoughts, apparently.

"Why?" Albus repeated. Scorpius scoffed and rolled his eyes, but eventually he nodded, once Albus clarified, "Why am I not going to give up? Because – because, Scorpius, we were best friends! For two years!"

"Were being the operative word here," Scorpius stated, before turning to the door. Unwilling to let this go, Albus used his wandless magic to slam the door shut, making certain that Scorpius couldn't get away. He was probably taking things a little too far, but Scorpius had really left him with absolutely no other option, "What the fuck?"

"I'm not going to let you keep avoiding me," Albus said, "It's been almost two months since we… Stopped talking, and I still don't know why."

"I think I already explained myself well enough," Scorpius said. As casually as possible, he tested the doorknob, grimacing when it didn't shift even an inch. Albus couldn't help but smirk.

"Actually, I don't think you did," Albus said, getting to his feet. He had made his mind up; perhaps he wasn't yet able to adequately and eloquently describe his feelings, but he could still give Scorpius a piece of his mind, "These past two months, I've been tiptoeing around you, making sure to keep out of your way, with no idea why. And you really have no idea how fucking much it hurts, do you? You just stopped caring, with no reason or explanation! Which, when you think about it, was pretty fucking shitty of you, Scorpius!"

"What do you want me to say?" Scorpius asked, tensing his fists at his side, "I gave you enough reasons, I think. This whole friendship thing between us just didn't feel right to me anymore."

"How?" Albus demanded, "Maybe I was just delusional, but I thought things were going fine! Sure, we had our arguments, we had our rough patches but… That's just friendship. Those things happen. It doesn't have to mean the end of it all!"

"Yeah? Well, this time it did!" Scorpius' voice was rising, and Albus couldn't help but wince at the harshness in his tone, "It was just too many arguments and too much awkwardness all compounded into one, and I just couldn't take it any more. This, right now, isn't exactly bringing back many rosy memories."

"But there were good times!" Albus insisted, "Surely those outweigh the bad?"

"I tried, Albus, alright?" Scorpius shook his head and went to go and sit back down on his bed, as it was obvious that he wasn't going anywhere else anytime soon, "I tried to make the good outweigh the bad, but it just felt forced, and I just couldn't put myself through that anymore."

"Really?" Albus took a step forwards towards him, "And you're sure it had nothing to do with the rumours? With what Mairi said to you?"

"What rumours?" Scorpius hissed, "What the hell do you mean?"

"Don't act like you don't know!" Scorpius' question elicited a dry, humourless laugh from Albus, one he didn't even bother to try and disguise. If they were really getting into this right now, then he was going to make sure he was the one pulling all the punches, "You know people like to blab at Hogwarts, and gossip spreads like wildfire at Hogwarts. Nobody minded telling me what Mairi said, that you love me -"

"Shut up!" Scorpius got to his feet and before Albus knew what the hell was happening, he had shoved Albus against the wall, and was punching at the door, as if he could simply fight his way out of all of his problems. Albus hit the wall with a thud, though thankfully Scorpius hadn't pushed him too hard. Still, he felt tears well in his eyes at the betrayal he felt, that Scorpius would ever even consider doing something like that to him.

"What the fuck is your problem?" Albus shouted as he straightened himself out, rubbing at the sore spot on his arm and feeling the tears burning at the corner of his eyes, hot and angry, "You're really so afraid of even the possibility of loving me that you'd pull a stupid stunt like that? That's messed up, you know! Maybe we really are better off without each other! Maybe I don't want to be friends with someone who thinks like that!"

"Good riddance," Scorpius muttered, "Now open the damn door before I tear it down."

Albus didn't mind obliging this time. He released his magic as he dropped back onto his bed, burying his head into his hands and wishing desperately that something in his life would just go to plan, because he really wasn't sure how much more of Scorpius he could handle, how much he could utterly detest him while also being irrevocably in love with him. He was tired and he was exhausted and everything was just too much all of a sudden.

"Look, I'm sorry, alright?" Scorpius' voice cut through all of the babble in Albus' mind, and though his tone wasn't at all sincere, he appreciate the effort he was making, "I never meant to shove you, I just – I saw red, and that's no excuse, and I'm terrible and, well, I'm sorry."

"You're right, it's no excuse," Albus said bitterly, rubbing at his eyes with his sleeves, which were fairly damp already, "I knew you hated me but I never thought you'd resort to physical violence."

"I didn't mean to!" Scorpius insisted, "Which, yes, is no excuse. I'm the worst."

"Pretty tempted to agree with you," Albus said, sighing, "but whatever. I'm a decent person, so I'll forgive you. But if you do it again, just remember that Mum promised me she'd teach me that bat bogey hex of hers one day, and I have no more qualms about making you my first victim."

Scorpius winced, which made Albus just a little more thrilled than he should have been. Before Scorpius had another chance to escape, he spoke again.

"I just wish you could have found a way to make things work," Albus said. When Scorpius rolled his eyes and turned around to leave again, Albus fixed him with a glare that kept him in place, "because, damn it, I miss you, alright? I miss your friendship. Is there really no way to make things work?"

Scorpius paused, furrowing his brow. For a few moments there was nothing but silence, heavy and foreboding in the room, but Scorpius didn't try and bolt or anything, for which Albus was grateful.

"I don't know, maybe, maybe one day," Scorpius shrugged, his posture stiff and unnatural like he was trying to hard to keep his composure, "but just… Just give it some time, alright? I was pissed off then, and I'm still pissed off now, but yeah, maybe. Don't ask me again."

"Fine, I won't," Albus said, fighting hard to keep the grin off his face. He couldn't help it; he practically beamed.

"Why are you smiling like that?" Scorpius asked warily.

"Because we're going to be friends again," Albus said with as much confidence as he could muster. And his heart truly did feel lighter at the very prospect of it. He had managed to get through to Scorpius, even if was Scorpius' own stupid fault for shoving him that made him realise that the two of them still had a chance, even if it was just as friends, even if that was all it was ever going to be, because that was always going to be enough for Albus, no matter how much he might have hoped for more.

"I wouldn't count on it," Scorpius murmured in response, "Now, if you don't mind, I have to sort through things with my parents. These past few days have been hard, okay? So… Leave me alone."

"Sure," Albus agreed amicably, "You'll be alright?"

"Of course," Scorpius responded, as if the very thought of anything to the contrary offended him greatly. He sighed once more, "Thank you for asking. For caring. But don't read too much into this."

"I wouldn't count on it," Albus responded, chuckling. Scorpius just glared at him, and then he was gone, but he left Albus behind in a room that felt far more welcoming than it had done in weeks. If he had known that getting through to Scorpius so quickly would be this easy, he would have done it long ago.

Now they only had to become friends once more, and hopefully the rest would follow on from there.


	47. Last Hope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello and welcome! today's chapter is named after the song 'last hope' by paramore, and personally i think you're all going to enjoy it very much. be sure to let me know what you think!
> 
> (and remember, if you want to add me as a buddy on nanowrimo and see how i'm doing, i'm buzzybeeforever)

"It's not that I don't feel the pain, I'm just not afraid of hurting anymore"

Over the next few days, rumours of attacks by the Pureblood Knights began to grow ever more prevalent, splashed across the pages of the Daily Prophet and whispered by his father and the other members of the Order of the Phoenix, late at night when Albus was getting a glass of water and they assumed that nobody else was up.

If it weren't for those late night glimpses through the crack of the dining room door, Albus wouldn't have seen his father at all. His department at the Ministry seemed to be utterly swamped at all times, and as their boss he had no choice but to be at the front line everyday, attempting to fight back. He looked more and more exhausted with each passing day, with bags under his eyes like dark purple bruises and a permanent mug of coffee in his hand.

Albus felt a little of the same; each night, it seemed to get harder and harder to get to sleep, what with all the thoughts floating around his mind that simply wouldn't shut up and let him get to sleep. He felt like he was subsisting on coffee alone, and he knew that one day soon he would undoubtedly crash, but for the time being he was existing, and that felt like enough.

Now that he had the use of his legs back, he was expected to help out with the Order an awful lot more. He started off slow, usually staying in the house and studying maps or intel they had received, but before he knew it he was being sent off on missions with Rose at his side. For some reason he was never with Scorpius, which he couldn't help but assume was his mother's doing.

Thankfully, he and Rose seemed to make a far better team than he and Scorpius had. They could actually communicate with each other, for starters, and she didn't try to undermine him every step of the way. They listened to each other, and considered each other's opinions, and only did something if they both agreed that it was the best course of action.

If anything, he certainly felt a lot safer, even if he was never quite able to adjust to Scorpius' absence.

They never did anything dangerous; they were either scoping out spots where potential Pureblood Knight members had been spotted, or checking out the places that had a relatively low level of danger, and they hadn't been seen yet, so he and Rose were clearly doing something right.

In the lulls in conversation while they were waiting, Albus desperately wanted to tell Rose about his feelings, but he could simply never quite get the words out. Either he was certain he would make a fool of himself in trying to explain himself, or Rose would move the topic of conversation on before Albus had gathered up the courage to even mention Scorpius' name.

Rose certainly didn't mind mentioning Scorpius' name, mostly to complain about how surly and unwilling he was on missions for the Order, and how much more cooperative Albus was, which made Albus feel a little smug. He was still glad to have his cousin back after her weeks of ignoring him, and it didn't hurt that she still only talked to Scorpius when strictly necessary.

Unfortunately, Albus hadn't been able to corner Scorpius again since their talk the other night, which he felt had been far more successful in the end than he had been expecting. Albus still greeted him if they passed each other in the hallway, or if Scorpius was in the room when Albus was, which was an increasingly rare occurrence. Mostly Scorpius would just blank him, but ever so occasionally he would nod before he could stop himself, and Albus was absolutely certain he would have to soften up eventually; hopefully sooner rather than later.

It was clear that he was still hurting from the loss of his grandmother; he hung around his parents even more than he had previously, and he was constantly with his baby sister whenever she was awake, though that wasn't often. Albus knew he had to take time to grieve, but a small and intensely jealous part of him wished he could spend more time trying to get through to him, but he respected his wishes and kept his distance, even if he knew it would only be for a little while.

One thing Albus was absolutely certain of was that he couldn't keep this to himself any longer. The very knowledge of it was burning him up inside, creeping into his every thought like a dark stain across his mind, and so, when he one day found himself in the living room reading with only Lily for company, he decided that now really was better than ever.

"Lily," He began, already feeling his heart speed up in his chest at the mere thought of her reaction. She glowered up at him from above her school work, which Albus was quite impressed she was already attempting. He had barely thought about the mountain load of work he had piled onto his desk the second he arrived home from Hogwarts. Occasionally when he was in bed he would wake up and find Scorpius doing his own summer work, but none of this even remotely motivated him to attempt his own.

"What is it, Albus?' She said, turning immediately back to her work, "I'm not helping you in the garden again, not after last time."

Albus winced at the memory of Lily having to pull a very insistent garden gnome from his hair, and said "I need to talk to you about something."

"Me?" She raised an eyebrow and cautiously placed her books to the side, her interest obviously piqued, "What's up, bro?"

"First, you have to promise me that you won't say anything… to anyone. I mean it." Albus said sternly. Lily definitely perked up at that, shoving her books away with obvious disinterest.

"I promise – I do!" Lily's eyes were wide and eager as she skipped up to Albus and plonked herself down at his side, "Now, tell me, what's up?"

"Okay, well..." Albus took in a deep breath, still not quite ready to launch into the explanation that he had been constructing in his head for the past few weeks now. The second he started speaking, however, it flew right out of the window, 'This is something I've been wanting to talk to you about for a while now, but I just never found the right way to do it, or how to say it. I only really fully came to terms with it myself very recently, and -"

At that exact moment, Rose entered, humming to herself as she scanned through her Potions textbook, not paying any mind to Albus or Lily as she sat down on the other sofa and pulled her legs up underneath her.

"Go on..." Lily urged, grinning.

"But..." Albus glanced meaningfully at Rose, who didn't appear to have heard a single word the pair of them had said, "It really is a secret."

Lily rolled her eyes, "Anything you can say to me, you can say to Rose. Besides, I'm just your sister. Rose might be your cousin, but she's also one of your best friends, so spill."

"Did someone say my name?" Rose asked, looking startled as she glanced up and spotted the two of them sat side by side on the sofa.

"Yes," Lily grinned, "Albus has something he wants to tell us."

"No, I -" Albus began, but Rose had already discarded her own textbook and was looking at him expectedly, "Fine."

"Well, go on then!" Rose encouraged, "You know I won't tell anyone… Who would I have to tell? And when have I ever not kept a secret?"

"Oh, I can think of several occasions," Albus said, half-jokingly, but it was true. Rose had an undeniable penchant for spilling the secrets she had been told at any opportunity, whether it was Hermione's promotion to Minister for Magic or the time Albus had hidden apple pie under his bed to save for later and his mother had somehow found out.

"Me too," Lily nodded before shrinking back from Rose's harsh expression, "Sorry, sorry, not helping. As you were, Albus."

"Right..." Albus said nervously, unsure how to proceed now he had an audience before him, "So, as I was telling Lily, this is something that's been on my mind for a while now, and I've kind of only just managed to get it all straight myself, but..."

He paused, taking a deep breath, realising that this was a now or never moment. Either he could just rip off the bandaid and tell them, and deal with the consequences of that later, or keep it hidden just a little longer, possibly to the detriment of his own mental wellbeing. He just didn't know how they were going to react, and that was terrifying.

"I..." Albus swallowed, wondering why the words were just so damned difficult to get out, "I think I like Scorpius. No, I know I do. As more than a friend. And I think I have for a while, since long before I even realised I had feelings for him."

Of all the reactions he had considered in his head, Rose and Lily bursting out laughing was certainly not one of them. He glanced between them anxiously, wondering if he'd done something wrong, wondering if they were laughing at him or with him, at the very ridiculousness of his situation.

"Uh..." Albus felt his cheeks turn hot, and wished the ground would just swallow him up whole. He knew this was a mistake, he knew he should have kept it to himself, even if it meant constantly bottling his feelings up. He felt tears well in the corners of his eyes, thick and heavy, and suddenly Rose and Lily were both at his side, wrapping him up in one big hug that comforted him almost as much as it confused him.

"Oh, Albus," Rose murmured, still laughing, though she was trying her best to stifle it, "you poor thing."

"Thanks for the sympathy… I think..."

Lily shook her head, laughing, "I'm just wondering how it took you so long to realise!"

"What do you mean?" Albus asked, eyeing her suspiciously as she got to her feet and did a little happy dance around the room before high-fiving Rose, who looked rather smug.

"What we mean is that we're wondering how it took you this long to realise," Rose said straightforwardly, her expression still far too mysterious for Albus, like she had a million other tricks up her sleeve ready to be pulled at any second.

"You mean," Albus spluttered, "You mean you already know?"

"It wasn't hard to figure out," Lily said breezily, "We've noticed the way you've been acting around him for the past few weeks, and even before then it was fairly obvious that you guys were closer than friends, and it was certainly hard to believe that it was platonic at all times."

"And then, of course," Rose grinned, "There's the kiss on Christmas Eve."

Albus jumped to his feet in shock, feeling his heart do something resembling a double take as he considered the implications of Rose's words.

"You knew about Christmas Eve?" He demanded, as Rose smiled at him guiltily.

"Yes, I'm sorry, Scorpius told us when it happened." Lily stroked his shoulder, gently, but he couldn't help but feel rather betrayed. He was going to tell them about Christmas Eve, about the kiss, but to find out that Scorpius had already told them… It hurt, it really hurt, and it showed how obviously little disregard Scorpius held for him.

"He could've told me," Albus muttered, "I didn't even remember until last month, in the aftermath of the attack. I had some kind of dream about it and I suddenly remembered. I've spent the past few weeks constantly doubting myself, questioning my own memories, wondering if that dream was real, and you guys knew the whole time?"

"I wish there had been some other way around it, but… Scorpius swore us to secrecy." Even Lily now looked to be on the verge of tears as she sat back down on the sofa with a huff, "Keeping this from you was horrible, one of the most horrible things I've ever had to do, and I'm just glad I don't have to keep hiding things from you."

"Yeah, we'll never do it again, I promise," Rose kissed him on the forehead and hugged him briefly, her eyes shining, "Now, you know you have to tell us more. What are you going to do about all of this?"

"Honestly? I have no bloody clue." Albus sighed, frowning, as he realised that even Lily and Rose might not be able to help him, "First I just have to make him stop hating me, or try to get rid of this ridiculous vendetta he has against me."

Rose and Lily glanced at each other conspiratorially, before Lily said, "I don't think that should be too much of a problem."

"Really?" Albus asked, intrigued, "You really don't think it's going to be that difficult? Because it's not like I haven't already tried. I mean, I got him to speak to me, at least, but it certainly wasn't cordial, and it definitely doesn't seem like we're going to be best mates anytime soon… Never mind anything more than that."

"I'm so proud of you, you know," Rose said, completely out of the blue.

"Uh… Why?"

"Because, you just admitted to being in love with your best friend – your guy best friend," She shrugged, "I just don't think this can have been easy for you. And you should know that I support you no matter what."

"Me too!" Lily added, "But, of course, you already knew that. Rose is right though, this is an incredibly brave thing you've done, telling us. Now all you have to do is tell Scorpius, and perhaps they'll even have to reconsider putting you in Slytherin, since you're so brave."

"Oh, Merlin..." Albus breathed, "I'm actually going to have to tell him at some point, aren't I? How I feel? Oh, bloody hell, I hadn't even thought about that, and the chances he feels the same way are pretty much zero to none. Why did I tell you guys this? What was I thinking?"

"Hey, deep breaths!" Lily said soothingly, "We'll work something out, alright? The three of us. You know Rose and I'll be by your side every step of the way, and we're here to support you, no matter what happens."

"Right," Albus tried to steady his breathing and calm his nerves, but nothing seemed to be working, "Right. This is all so scary."

"I know, bro, I know," Lily sighed, "It feels weird, me being the one giving advice, but what you have to know is that love just… Isn't easy, not even at the best of times. And I know it seems like you have it pretty bad, but things are going to work out for you, I just know it."

"Thank you, Lily," Albus smiled gratefully, "It's just… What if he doesn't feel the same way?"

"Then you'll be alright," Rose assured him, "Love isn't the be all and end all of your life. If… If he doesn't love you back, then it's going to hurt, of course it's going to hurt, but in time it won't hurt so much, and you might even find someone else."

"You're right," Albus nodded, more to himself than to the two girls sat either side of him, "Why don't I just tell him now? Just… Do it. Rip off that bandaid."

Lily and Rose just stared at each other, dumbfounded. It seemed almost like they were having some sort of silent exchange, if the subtle changes in expression and gestures were anything to go by. Albus felt his newly found confidence falter, but he also knew that if he was ever going to do anything, it had to be right now.

He got to his feet, followed closely behind by Rose and Lily, who were now giggling amongst themselves and positively brimming with excitement. Albus wished he felt something other than a heavy sense of dread, deep in his stomach. He felt sick, he felt nauseous, he was going to be sick, he couldn't do this, he couldn't -

"Come on," Without a warning, Lily grabbed him by the arm and dragged him out of the room, "You're going to tell hi- What the hell?"

Lily's little encouraging speech was cut short by the sight of James Apparating right in front of their eyes as Professor Longbottom struggled to hold him up. There was a deep gash on his forehead from which seemingly copious amounts of blood were flowing, and he stumbled about drunkenly as if his own feet could no longer hear him. Without hesitating, Albus grabbed his other side to help Longbottom bear the load. His eyes seemed glazed and vacant, as if he were struggling to stay conscious.

"Mum!" Lily screamed, her face as pale as a sheet of paper, "Mum! Get down here now!"

There was a thundering of feet on the stairs, and then Ginny appeared. When she saw James, she too screamed and rushed to his aid as people began to flood the hallway from all corners of the house in response to Lily's wailing.

"Out!" Ginny shouted, as she desperately tore off one sleeve of her top and pressed it to James' forehead as she tried to stitch the wound up using her wand "Everyone, get out of the house, right now! That's an order!"

Despite his greater weight, Ginny took him from Albus and Professor Longbottom with ease, and more or less carried him into the living room. Glancing around, she pointed at Draco, who was hovering in the stairwell with his wife, and gestured for him to follow. He kissed his wife's cheek and followed, his expression solemn, his lips set in a hard line.

"Come on, we'd better follow your mother's orders," Longbottom said as he began herding everyone out of the house, just as Ginny reappeared, wiping her brow with the one sleeve she had left.

"Neville, in here," She said, "You have some explaining to do,"

Nodding grimly, Neville followed, slamming the door behind him before Albus and Lily had the chance to sneak inside. Rose took his hand and led him outside, and she didn't let go, her hand in his in an iron grip, even when the screaming started. Albus shook his head to clear it before shutting the back door forcefully, blocking out the sound. Now he understood why his mum had insisted they all get out of there.

Albus inhaled a deep breath of the fresh, crisp air in an attempt to fight back the tears that were threatening to roll down his cheeks. His head was swimming and he couldn't get a clear grasp on his thoughts. He let Rose lead him into the reclining chair on the porch, and he sat there for a little while, not even minding the little drops of rain that fell on his face.

"He'll be alright," Rose reassured him, "Whatever they did, the adults will sort it out. Scorpius' dad is a doctor, after all, and your mum obviously had to get first aid training when she was playing for the Holyhead Harpies. He'll be alright."

"I know he will," Albus said, "it's just… Knowing that this kind of thing is capable of happening. They've hurt me, and Dad, and now James. What if they decide to hurt Mum? Or Lily? I don't know how I'd be able to live with myself if I let them do that."

"I'm afraid you don't really have a say," Rose said, her tone sombre, "but I know how you feel. With Mum being Minister for Magic, I feel like I have to keep an eye on her all day, every day, because she's got such a huge target on her head, especially being Muggleborn."

"We can get through this." Albus said, determined.

"Yeah, we can," She agreed, smiling and nudging him, "And hey, if you want a distraction, there's the perfect one right over there."

Albus followed her gaze to where Scorpius sat on the grass reading, apparently oblivious of the rain as it fell in small but persistent droplets. Rose was right, of course; talking to him  _would_  be the perfect distraction, it just depended on whether or not Scorpius would actually want to be his distraction. Without another thought, Albus pulled himself to his feet and sat down on the grass by Scorpius' side.

"Hi," He said simply. As usual, Scorpius continued to ignore him, but Albus wasn't fazed. He stayed there at his side as the rain grew ever more persistent, letting it wash away all his inhibitions and the thoughts that weighed heavily on his mind.

After what must have been only thirty seconds or so but felt like a lifetime, Scorpius responded with, "I'm sorry about your brother. I hope he'll be alright."

Albus nodded gratefully, "Thank you. That means a lot. Especially coming from you."

"And thank you," Scorpius responded after a little while, his brows furrowed in thought, "for offering to help with everything after my grandma… Yeah."

"That's okay," Albus said, pulling a strand of rain-sodden hair from his eyes, "You know, I really love the rain."

"I remember," Scorpius said with a chuckle, shoving his book back into his bag before the rain could do it any more damage.

"You do?" Albus asked, raising an eyebrow.

Scorpius grinned, "Of course. You always said it was cleansing, that it felt like the world was being born anew, or some other pretentious shit like that."

"And you really don't feel that right now?" Albus wondered, "Like something new's beginning here? That maybe we really can be friends again?"

Scorpius sighed, "Albus, you know I -"

"I know," Albus replied, "I've heard it all from you before. But hear me out. These past few months without you have been some of the hardest of my life, and I realise now that I took our friendship for granted, when I really shouldn't have. I should have listened to you, I should have been more willing to share my insecurities and doubts, and I should never have let you go, and I don't think you ever should have let me go, either."

"What are you trying to say?" Scorpius asked, his voice barely above a whisper. Albus glanced up from where he had been staring at his hands while he spoke to find Rose and Lily sat together, watching the pair of them intensely and no doubt whispering amongst themselves about what they thought was going to happen. Albus felt his stomach twist with anxiety as he knew that it was now or never.

"What I'm saying is that I need you to be honest with me," Albus said, glancing at Scorpius, at the way his damp hair stuck up and his cheeks and the tip of his nose were slightly red, at the familiar freckles dusted across his cheeks.

"Alright, I'll try," Scorpius looked confused.

"No, I need you to promise me," Albus insisted, "Promise me that you'll be honest, no matter what I say."

"Fine," Scorpius conceded, "I promise. Do you want us to spit and shake on it, or?"

"Just tell me one thing." Albus said, "Do you really think that you made the right choice, choosing not to be my friend anymore?"

"No," Scorpius admitted, shaking his head.

"Then why did you do it?" Albus asked, his voice unsteady.

"I don't know. I don't know how to explain it to you." Scorpius' own voice was shaky, his voice barely more than a whisper that was nearly lost in between the sounds of the falling rain and the rest of the family, who were hiding out in the protection of the porch and talking loudly amongst themselves. Albus tried his best to drown them out.

"That's alright," Albus said. He longed to comfort him, to wrap his arm around him, but he kept his distance, "Do you miss me? Because I miss you."

"Yes, all the time," Scorpius bit his lip, his expression somehow guilty, "more than I ever thought I could."

“Right,” Albus responded uncertainly. Now was the time, he just had to do it, no matter how much he was certain he would be babbling, “Scorpius, the whole reason I’m here, right now, asking you all these questions is because, and I’ve been thinking on this for a long time, and it’s taken me until now to even consider telling you this, but… Scorpius, I’m kind of sort of totally in love with you.”


	48. Summer Fades

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm glad to see that people are enjoying last chapter's cliffhanger, and i simply couldn't make you wait too long to see its resolution. today's chapter is named after the song 'summer fades' by smoke fairies, and i really really hope you enjoy it and leave a comment! :D

"Can we start something new, just me and you?"

For a long while, there was nothing but thundering silence, as the rain continued to pour and they continued to sit on the grass. At some point, Ginny came out and announced that everyone was welcome to return back inside, but the words were completely lost on Albus. All he could think about was the words he had just spoken, the words he had kept suppressed inside of himself for the past few weeks, and how good it felt to have them out, no matter what Scorpius' response might be.

"Feel free to respond at any time," Albus said, laughing nervously. He risked a glance at Scorpius, who was staring vacantly out into the distance, his eyes wide and his mouth opening and closing as if he were still searching for the right words. Albus' heart was pounding in his chest, and he could hardly breathe, knew he wouldn't be able to until Scorpius responded.

"I don't believe this," Scorpius said at long last, shaking his head in disbelief. Before Albus had time to even begin to process what he was saying, Scorpius had jumped to his feet and was pacing up and down the grass in front of Albus, "I don't believe this."

"Uh…" Albus slowly got to his own feet and stepped in front of Scorpius, halting his incessant pacing, "Do you want to explain, or are you just going to leave me here feeling like an idiot?"

Scorpius stared at him, dumbfounded, for a second or two, before he shook his head and laughed, 'Right. Of course. I just… I can't believe this!"

"Yeah, I kind of got that impression..." Albus said hesitantly. Glancing back at the house, Albus noticed Rose and Lily watching him from the kitchen window. They each gave him a thumbs up, to which he could only respond with a vague shrug and a panicked expression.

"I'm sorry, I'm just trying to… Gather my thoughts." Scorpius shook his head and laughed, his manner all at once disbelieving and self-deprecating, "So. You're in love with me?"

"That's what I said, yep."

"Okay. Wow." Scorpius ran his hand through his sodden hair and released a breath, "And you've known this for how long?"

"For certain? A few weeks, but subconsciously? I don't know," Albus crossed his arms, "I mean, I must have kissed you for a reason at Christmas..."

"Wait." Scorpius blinked, "You remember that? And you're only telling me now! Do you know how much easier that would've made these past few months?"

"I only remembered after I got knocked out by the Pureblood Knights. Thanks for nearly getting killed by them, by the way."

"Oh, yeah, the feeling's mutual," Scorpius said, scoffing, his expression still one of total disbelief. Albus was starting to feel nervous all over again, his stomach fluttering as if full of butterflies.

"Hang on a minute..." Albus paused, brows furrowed, "These past few months… Scorpius, you… You feel the same way? About me?"

"Did I not make that clear?" Scorpius asked, his tone sarcastic. Albus resisted the urge to whack him, "I'm sorry. Now's really not the time. Come on,"

Scorpius grabbed his hand, sending shockwaves all up Albus' arm as he pulled the two of them behind a tree so that they were obscured from view. Scorpius' hand lingered on his before he let go with a reluctant sigh.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Albus asked, looking up into his eyes, which were as wide and afraid as Albus had ever seen them, "Scorpius, it's alright, you know you can tell me anything."

"I was scared, alright?" Scorpius' voice wavered, as if he were on the verge of tears, "I was scared you wouldn't feel the same way, that you'd hate me, and with every other thing that was happening I just couldn't deal with the thought of that. So I just… Bottled it all up, I guess."

"So the rumours were true, in the end?" Albus grinned at the ridiculousness of it all, of all the wasted opportunities and stolen moments that could have happened between them but hadn't, because Scorpius was afraid and he was an oblivious idiot who never saw what was now becoming ever more obvious.

"Yes, they were true, and I'm sorry that I lied, and that I ruined everything," Scorpius began to sob, his tears mingling with the rain that was still pouring without a sign of stopping, but Albus barely noticed; he was too busy feeling a slightly numb sense of amazement and bewilderment at his life right now.

"Hey, no, you didn't ruin anything," Albus said, reaching up to brush the tears from his cheeks, even though it was fruitless due to the rain, but he did it anyway, because he could, "I don't blame you in the slightest. And yes, it hurt, but I'll be fine. You were just doing what you thought you had to to protect yourself, and that's totally understandable."

"Thank you," Scorpius whispered, his voice hoarse, "So. This. This is a thing."

"Yeah," Albus grinned, feeling himself blush again just at the absurdity of it all and the fact that he was here, standing outside in the rain with Scorpius, his back pressed uncomfortably to a tree as his hand still lingered on his cheek, "I mean, so I know my feelings are relatively new, but after everything that happened I never even thought that I could feel like this or that you could feel the same way too."

"Albus -" Scorpius began, but Albus cut him off.

"Wait, I'm trying to explain myself here," Albus said insistently, "And I still just can't believe we've wasted all these months when we could have – should have been together. Like this, right now, it just feels right, don't you think?"

"Albus, shut up," Scorpius said, smirking, but Albus couldn't stop, he just had to make his feelings known after all these weeks that they had been building up inside of him with no release.

"But I'm so happy right now. Like, I can't stop smiling. Because we're here, together, at last, and this is honestly the most wonderful th-"

"Albus, shut up, and kiss me." Scorpius said, and Albus froze. Glancing up, he realised that Scorpius' face was mere inches away from his. He could feel his breath on his cheek and could see every single freckle, every little mark and imperfection. Time seemed to freeze entirely as they just stared at one another until Albus was able to come back to his senses.

"Right. Of course. Uh." He cursed internally, at his awkwardness and his inability to ever do the right thing. He wanted nothing more in the entire world than to kiss Scorpius, to make up for Christmas Eve and to prove that this really was the way things were meant to be, but he couldn't move, couldn't breathe, couldn't think except to think about Scorpius and his lips and his eyes and his hair and -

Scorpius leaned forward, slowly, and kissed him softly on the lips.

It wasn't anything like the kisses Albus had seen in all of those Muggle movies; it was just a simple, chaste kiss, over in a second, and even that was enough to send butterflies running rampant through Albus' stomach. It was nothing like Christmas Eve, which had been drunkenness and passion and longing, this was simply the culmination of everything that had happened these past few months, and it was perfect and more than anything it felt absolutely right.

"Wow," Scorpius breathed, barely above a whisper, touching his lips absently in obvious disbelief. Albus grinned and took Scorpius' hand once more, threading their fingers together. He could have stayed forever in this moment, at the two of them in the rain, smiling at each other and suppressing the laughter that Albus just knew was threatening to bubble over in Scorpius, too.

Scorpius kissed him again with a little more force, and Albus found himself pressed against the tree as Scorpius' hand snaked around his waist. Albus felt more like he was floating than still very much attached to the ground. His head was spinning from all of the unfamiliar sensations and emotions as he ran his hands through Scorpius' hair, up and down his torso, longing to just  _feel_  him, become reacquainted with him after all their months apart.

"Wow," Albus agreed as they pulled away once more, his breathing a little heavier, shaking his head in disbelief, "This is never going to feel real."

"You're right," Scorpius agreed, his tone equally incredulous, "It just feels like I've been wanting this, needing this, for so long, and now it's finally happening I kind of can't believe it's really happening. We'll adjust, though, I'm sure."

"Yeah," Albus murmured, his words cut off by Scorpius kissing him once more. He didn't think he would ever get enough of that.

"So, like, how long has it been?" Albus asked, raising an eyebrow as their lips separated once more.

"How long has what been?"

Albus waved his hands about, "This! You, liking me! I'm just curious, that's all."

"You'll laugh at me," Scorpius said, his cheeks tinged with pink, "Let's just say it's been rather a long time."

"Come on," Albus teased, poking him in the side, "I won't judge you, I promise."

"Fine," Scorpius relented, slapping Albus' hands away, "It's been about three and a half years."

"Oh, shit," Was all Albus could say, letting out an incredulous laugh, "Man, I'm so sorry."

Scorpius merely shrugged, "The heart wants what the heart wants."

"Well, I'm sorry that the heart had to wait such a long time," Albus said, stretching up onto his tiptoes and kissing him gently on the forehead, still feeling giddy like a small child on Christmas Day who had just seen their presents under the tree for the very first time.

"It was worth the wait," Scorpius said, and then Albus was too disracted by the other boy kissing him again to think on it any longer.

After a while, the rain became too heavy and persistent, so Albus and Scorpius headed inside, reluctantly letting go of each other's hand as they did so. When they rounded the corner to find Rose and Lily waiting out for them on the porch, they glanced at each other and burst out laughing, and it took a while for either of them to stop as they joined the two girls on the porch and out of the rain at last.

"So," Lily looked at them both expectantly and tapping her foot as she did so. Next to her, Rose snickered as she asked, "I think you both have some explaining to do,"

"First of all – is James alright?" Albus asked, as laughter suddenly became the very last thing on his mind.

Lily turned sombre immediately, "Yeah, he's alright. He wants to talk to you, for some reason, and Dad's furious, but yeah, he's going to be just fine."

"Thank Merlin," Albus said, breathing a sigh of relief. For a little while, there was a comfortable silence.

"Did you kiss?" Lily asked, grinning wickedly. Scorpius turned bright red and looked down at feet and Albus began to splutter helplessly, "Well. It's about bloody time."

"Couldn't agree more," Rose said, high-fiving her cousin and winking at Albus who was glaring as strongly as he could at both of them.

"I'm just so happy for them," Lily said with a dreamy sigh. Rose nodded, nudging Albus.

"All I can think is that it's about bloody time," Rose said with a wink in their direction, "For a long time it was very will they, won't they, but I'm just glad they finally have."

"It's like a bloody sitcom," Lily joked.

"Hello, literally standing right here," Albus said, waving his hand in front of their faces, but they continued to giggle amongst themselves as if the two boys in front of them didn't exist, "Whatever. I'm going to go see what James wants. See you around."

Thrusting his hands deep into his pockets, he headed inside, with Scorpius hot on his heels. He only hoped nobody in the household would be too quick to notice the lack of tension between them, and the friendliness, as Albus knew he simply couldn't keep acting cold towards Scorpius, not anymore. Never again, hopefully.

They found James lying on the couch with a bandage wrapped around his head. He looked a sight, and Albus had to resist the urge to poke fun of him when he entered the room for fear his brother would simply throw something at him. He had his eyes closed, and his face was pale, but he was quite obviously awake, as he opened one eye to look at Albus when he entered.

"You're all wet," James observed wryly, frowning at the pair of them as they dripped onto the carpet. Albus hesitated at the door, "No, come in. You think I care if mum gets mad at me? It's nothing compared to the talking to she just gave me. Be quiet, though."

"I'm so glad you're alright," Albus said, leaning forwards to pat him carefully on the top of his head, but James swatted him away immediately and sat up, groaning and clutching at his bandages, 'but what the hell did you do?"

"Are we sitting comfortably? 'Cause you might be here for a while." James asked. Frowning, Albus took a seat on the sofa opposite him, "You too, Malfoy."

Cautiously, Scorpius sat down next to Albus, making certain to keep his distance.

"So, I was pretty mad last week, right? When Dad and his mates went gallivanting off to be the heroes," James fixed them both with a stern look, and they nodded back. Albus still had no idea what the hell this was all about, but it was probably best just to roll with the punches when it came to James in this mood, "well, I guess I just wanted to be the hero for once, you know? Like, they had their time. It's our generation's turn to prove themselves."

"We shouldn't have to," Scorpius hissed, but when James glared at him, he shut up, crossing his arms in a huff.

"No, we should have to, because otherwise what are we going to become? The 'lost' generation? The generation that never stood up for its values, that let assholes like the Pureblood Knights take charge because they think their parents can handle it?" James clenched his fists at his sides even as he winced at the pain in his head.

"But maybe we don't want to fight," Albus said, glancing at Scorpius, who nodded in agreement, "Maybe we would be better off leaving it to our parents, because they know what to do. They've been through all of this before, and they know better how to put a stop to it all."

"Well they're not doing a particularly good job, are they?" James said scathingly.

"Like you're doing much better!" Albus scoffed, pointing to the bandage on his head, "How did that even happen? What were you trying to prove?"

"Maybe I wasn't trying to prove anything!" James said, leaning back and closing his eyes, "Maybe I just wanted to feel useful, maybe I just thought that I could do something. Obviously I was wrong."

"James," Albus said in as serious as a tone as he thought he had ever used when talking to his brother, "What happened?"

"Last night, I overheard Dad and the others talking about what they thought was the main base," James said, his eyes still closed, "So I… Went to check it out myself. Except Longbottom found me just as I was about to leave and insisted on coming with me. It was foolish, I knew that the second we arrived there, but I thought we could at least try to do something."

"And did you do something?" Albus asked.

"No..." James frowned, fiddling absentmindedly with his bandages and wincing each time his fingers got too close to the wound, "But it wasn't all for nothing. Guess who we saw there?"

"Who?"

"Your old classmates," James grinned.

"You don't mean -" Albus began, eyes wide as realisation dawned on him.

"Yep. They were underage during that attack on Diagon Alley last year – Merlin, it feels like years ago now – so there was nothing we could do but expel them." James clenched his jaw, "I knew we should have kept an eye on them, but Dad was certain the Aurors had it all under control."

"Have you told him?"

"Not yet," James admitted, "he's barely speaking to me, and the feeling's mutual."

"But..." Albus considered, "perhaps if you talk to him, you can work something out. You're an Auror now, surely you have some sway with the office?"

James snorted with laughter, "I'm a rookie, I have practically no say. And in the end, it all comes down to what the great and wonderful Harry Potter has to say."

"Fine." Albus said, shaking his head at his brother.

"What?" James asked nonchalantly.

"I'll talk to him for you, tell him about what you saw, about what you know." Albus responded grudgingly, hardly believing he was doing this.

"Really?" James practically beamed, "you're not so bad, you know, little brother."

"Don't get used to it." Albus said, already getting to his feet, "Next time I see him, I'll try and let him know."

"Thank you. No, seriously, I mean it." James adjusted his position gradually so he was lying back down on the sofa, "Now leave your big brother alone so he can sleep."

Rolling his eyes, Albus left, Scorpius following closely behind, his face pale as a sheet as he considered the implication that the three Slytherin bullies were now apparently fully fledged members of the Pureblood Knights. Albus didn't particularly like it himself, but there was nothing that he could do about it right now except talk to his father, so he resolved not to think too much about it.

Besides, he had plenty of other things on his mind.

* * *

"So," Albus began a little while later once they had retreated to Albus' bedroom to be away from the prying eyes of his siblings and cousin. They each sat awkwardly on their respective beds, because something about the room still felt a little stifling, "When was it that you realised? That, you know..."

Scorpius blushed again, and Albus simply couldn't help that he found the sight absolutely endearing, "Do we really have to get into this?"

"Yes," Albus replied, nodding, "because I never want to keep a secret from you ever again, and I thought you'd feel the same way. Because I know I've kept secrets from you before, and I know now that that was stupid of me."

"Fine," Scorpius narrowed his eyes at him as he pulled his legs up underneath him, "do you remember that argument we had in Third Year? When it was snowing and you wouldn't leave me alone."

It was Albus' turn to blush now; of course he remembered. He wasn't sure he would ever forget, "Of course. I don't think I'll ever forget. It was Valentine's Day, and you'd just broken up with Astrid, right?"

Scorpius nodded, his expression slightly vacant, as if he were trying to remember the events of that day. Albus wondered just how different their interpretations of that event were; he only remembered himself trying to reach out to Scorpius, to try and console him on his break up, but even then he should have known that it was going to go wrong.

"See, the thing was," Scorpius mused, his expression thoughtful, "I was kind of already starting to realise I was… Attracted to guys. Which is why I broke up with Astrid. And then I saw you, and it kind of just made me remember how hard it all was and that I actually kind of really liked you, so I guess I lashed out because I was angry at myself, and at you, and by being there you provided the perfect excuse. Sorry, by the way."

"You don't need to apologise, Scor," Albus reassured him, "I can't even imagine how hard that must have been for you, and with me being an absolute prick on top of everything else… Yikes."

Scorpius just shrugged, "Well, I accepted myself eventually. It was definitely easier after I told Rose, and I didn't even mind when Rose told Lily. Why do you think we became such good friends?"

"And you never thought to tell me?" Albus asked, though he wasn't entirely serious. He knew Scorpius would have told him if he felt he could.

"I did, so many times, you have no idea, but..." Scorpius sighed and fiddled with his sleeves, "I was always scared of how you'd react. I was scared you'd treat me differently, that you'd think I liked you -"

"Which you did," Albus pointed out, grinning.

"Well, yes, but I hardly thought you'd feel the same way," Scorpius glared daggers at him from across the room, but Albus just continued smiling that smile of his, which he knew infuriated Scorpius to no end.

"I kind of wonder how long I've known that I see you as more than a friend," Albus pondered, "I mean, I obviously already felt something for you at Christmas, but how I didn't realise… How I didn't remember. I'm truly never going to stop feeling bad about that."

"Nonsense," Scorpius said, "Even if you were pissed off your face, it was a pretty decent kiss."

"Oh yeah?"

"Sure, until you threw up about three seconds later," Scorpius's expression was smug even as Albus threw a cushion in his direction.

"I was drunk!" Albus defended, wincing at the still reasonably vague memories he had of that moment. The kiss he now remembered with almost perfect clarity, but everything around that was hazy, like he was seeing the world through a thick cloud of smoke.

"So… Can I ask a question?" Scorpius asked after they had spent several minutes simply throwing cushions at each other, reminding each other what friendship had been like, how there had been moments like this more often than there had been arguments and disagreements and misunderstandings.

"Shoot," Albus said, ducking a badly aimed pillow.

"I'm just asking 'cause I'm curious," He began.

"You mean nosy," Albus interrupted, successfully dodging yet another cushion.

"Okay, you've got me there," Scorpius chuckled, "So… What does this mean? Like… Are you gay, or...?"

Albus shrugged, "I don't know! I just… I like people. Anyway, why does it matter, who I like, and why? Right now I like you, Scorpius, and no one else really matters."

Scorpius blushed again, and Albus was about to go over and kiss him again, but at that moment the door was flung wide open and Ginny stormed inside, her expression absolutely livid. She glanced at the two of them sitting on their respective beds and her face softened slightly.

"Come on, boys, downstairs," She said as she herded them out of the room.

"Why, what's going on?" Albus asked, frowning as he and Scorpius hurried down the stairs after her.

"I've called an emergency meeting of the Order," She announced, shaking her head, "after what happened today, and what James told me, I just feel it's necessary. Your father should be back soon."

Sighing, Albus followed her into the dining room, ready for what would surely be another series of shouting matches between the adults as they tried to decide the best possible way to succeed, but not before Scorpius grabbed his hand and squeezed it, and he knew he could get through it then no matter what.

In fact, throughout the entire meeting, which went exactly as Albus had predicted and with little to no progress made, Scorpius kept a hold of his hand under the table, and Albus could hardly think of anything except just how much his life had truly changed in the past few hours alone, and how he could face whatever the future had in store for him with Scorpius by his side, exactly as it should have been.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it only took 48 chapters, but we're here at last... (i'm sorry, i truly am the worst!)
> 
> and if you'll pardon the pun, i want to make sure you know that we're not out of the woods just yet! there's lots of good (and bad) stuff to come, and i hope you'll stick with me for it :)


	49. All I Wanted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm sorry this was so late! i have no excuses other than i got sidetracked writing stucky fanfiction that i doubt i'm ever going to publish, sorry! today's chapter is named after the song 'all i wanted' by paramore and i hope the sweetness of it makes up for the lateness.

"I could follow you to the beginning, just to relive the start"

The next week or so was a constant blur of meetings and panic and waiting around for hours on end, but through it all, there was Scorpius, and Albus couldn't have been more grateful for his presence, now more than ever before. He was a constant at his side, always radiating love and warmth when the rest of the world simply wasn't able to provide, and Albus spent every possible moment with him, trying to make up for those months that they had lost.

Unfortunately, they only managed to spend a little time together, with just the two of them; in the mornings, Albus was too sleepy and deprived of caffeine to be much for conversation, and at the end of the day they both wanted nothing more than to sleep off the fatigue they felt deep in their bones from the day's work.

After James had been so stupidly injured, neither he, Albus, Rose nor Scorpius were allowed out of the house, supposedly for their own protection, but that wasn't to say that there was a lack of things to do. Each of them, except James, of course, spent two hours a day training with a member of the Order of the Phoenix, and if that weren't enough, they were expected to do all of the cooking and cleaning as Lily and Hugo watched on smugly and teased them from time to time.

The worst part of it all was the fear in the air, which became palpable with every passing day; from the deep shadows beneath his parents' eyes as they shakily sipped their coffee in the morning to the tension that lingered uneasily in the air at mealtimes or in the evening when they sat together in the lounge, often in silence as no one dared talk about the events that had transpired during the day.

Sometimes when Albus glanced out of the window or closed his bedroom curtains at night, he would see a dark figure waiting outside, who would promptly vanish when they spotted the flicker of movement. Thankfully he knew that the wards his father put up would protect him, but they knew where he was, and that was the most frightening thing of all.

If they wanted to fight, then he would fight back with everything he had, and he was certain that the rest of his family and friends would do the same and that the Pureblood Knights would be beaten, but somehow that knowledge, which had once been absolute certainty, still wasn't quite enough.

The fact of the matter still remained that ultimately, none of them knew who was behind it; no leader had stepped forward to claim that title, and the fact that the movement had grown so drastically and so quickly in just the space of a few short months with no clear figure to blame just proved that this whole thing was so much bigger than they ever could have imagined.

Albus now had nightmares on an almost daily basis, of shadowy figures and enclosed spaces and untold, unimaginable pain. It was all just slightly too much, and he knew he couldn't keep going at this rate for much longer, but he was always infinitely reassured by the thought of Scorpius. He was the calm in a seemingly infinite sea of panic, a steadying presence beyond anything Albus felt he deserved.

If he and Scorpius hadn't reconciled when they did, Albus knew with a certainty that was becoming ever rarer by the day that he just wouldn't have been able to cope, and Albus had an inkling that Scorpius felt much the same way. He just wished that they had time to talk, that they weren't constantly surrounded by adults claiming to have their best interests at heart, but with whom they couldn't even fathom telling about everything that had happened between them.

One night, about a week or so after he and Scorpius had at last revealed their true feelings to each other, Albus had the worst nightmare of his entire life. Nothing terrifying or horrible happened; no monsters lurking in the dark or spells being fired. It was so much worse. It was the feeling of being trapped, of walls closing in, of drowning and screaming for help but nobody hearing, of Scorpius being there but being unable to see him, hear him, touch him. He was falling and falling with nothing and nobody to catch him, he was slowly breaking into a million tiny pieces, he was screaming in pain but there was no relief.

"Albus!" He awoke with a jolt at the sound of his name to a pair of frantic, wild grey eyes in front of his. He blinked, his heart still beating frantically in his chest, until Scorpius came into focus in front of him, and at last he felt like he could breathe. He felt absently at his cheek, and was surprised when his fingers came away wet with tears. Somehow that realisation and the memories of the nightmare that came flooding back were too much and he began to sob into Scorpius' shoulder.

"It's alright, Al, it was just a nightmare, it's over now, you're going to be absolutely fine," He whispered soothingly into Albus' ear. Albus nodded into his shoulder, still feeling tears spilling from his eyes and wishing that he weren't quite so pathetic.

"I'm sorry," He murmured, his throat thick with unshed tears and unsaid words.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," Scorpius said, gently wiping at Albus' cheek with a tissue.

"I woke you up," Albus said, wishing more than anything that he could just melt into the ground and disappear, because really his entire existence was just a burden on everybody around him, and oh, Merlin, he couldn't breathe all of a sudden.

"Hey," Scorpius took Albus' face in his hands and locked eyes with him, his grey eyes soft and full of a mix of understanding and pain, "it's okay, you didn't wake me up, I was reading this really good book, and, well, I should have been asleep, but I wasn't. And even if I had been, you know I wouldn't mind. I'd hate the thought of you lying here suffering in silence, too afraid to wake me up even if you needed help."

Albus nodded once, feeling more tears well up inexplicably in his eyes and blushing despite himself as Scorpius kissed him softly on the cheek before pulling him willingly into an embrace. Albus let himself be consumed by the embrace, let go of all thoughts but those of Scorpius, and though tears still fell, he knew that he was safe, and more importantly, that he was home; he was where he was supposed to be.

"I don't know how much longer I can deal with this," Albus said, shaking his head and resisting the sudden and overwhelming urge to suck his thumb like he had when he was younger and the world confused him, until his Uncle Ron had convinced him that it would fall of. Sighing, he released Scorpius from their hug and pulled his legs up, wrapping his arms around himself.

"Then don't deal with it," Scorpius said, shrugging slightly. Albus glanced at him and frowned at the slight smirk on his face.

"Scorpius, what do you mean?" Albus asked, his tone frantic, "I can't just not deal with this, I have things to do, people are counting on me, I can't -"

"Yes, you can," Scorpius said, "for one day. The world is going to keep spinning on its axis even if Albus Potter isn't there to make it."

"Shut up," Albus joked, but he managed to crack a smile for the first time in what felt like forever, and he silently thanked Scorpius for that, "but I think people are going to notice if I just take the day off."

"Au contraire," Scorpius said conspiratorially, "I have a plan up my sleeve,"

"Oh, no..." Albus groaned, then giggled as Scorpius reached out and tickled him under his ribs, right where he knew he was most susceptible too it. He shrieked with laughter, feeling tears spilling down his cheeks for all the right reasons, before he was finally able to shove Scorpius off the bed, where he landed on the floor with a loud thud that almost seemed to shake the entire room.

Albus froze, arms still outstretched, as he heard muttered voices and heard the click of the hallway light being switched on. Scorpius looked equally horrified for a second or two, before he came back to his senses and scrambled into his own bed, just as the door was flung open.

"Albus?" It was Harry, who blinked at him in the darkness, adjusting his glasses, "is everything alright? I heard a noise and I thought the house was under attack or something,"

Albus spared a glance at Scorpius, who looked convincingly unconscious sprawled across the bed and breathing slowly and softly, before responding, "Yeah, Dad, I'm fine. Sorry to wake you up. We're not under attack."

"Good, and, oh, I was up anyway," Harry said, waving an arm dismissively as he yawned as if to punctuate his point, "there's always more work to be done."

Albus rolled his eyes, "In that case, go to sleep."

"Yes, right, of course," He looked down at Albus and blinked several more times, "Have you been crying?"

"Oh… Uh, yeah..." He said, trailing off uncertainly, "It was just a nightmare, though, no big deal."

"No big deal?" Harry scoffed, and Albus was forced to shuffle up as his dad sat down next to him on the bed, "From personal experience, I can guarantee that nightmares aren't just 'no big deal'."

"I hardly think Voldemort's in my head," Albus said dryly.

"Well, let's hope," Harry replied, chuckling softly, "but, Albus… You know you can always come to me, right? If anything's bothering you?"

"I know that, Dad, of course I do," Albus nudged his father in what he hoped was a reassuring manner, but Harry just stared into the distance, his expression pensive.

"It just feels like, with James… We've always had so much in common. Quidditch, Gryffindor, being an Auror," Harry closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Albus couldn't help but wonder where he was going with all of this just as he realised that Scorpius was watching him, his grey eyes lit up from the dim light of the hallway that was peeking through the door. He gave him a quick, encouraging thumbs up, and Scorpius nodded before shifting slightly and turning his head the other way.

"What are you trying to say, Dad?" Albus asked cautiously.

"I just feel like I've been neglecting you," Harry admitted, his shoulders slumping, "I've been a terrible father; you were just so unlike me, so unlike James, so unlike Lily, so unlike your mother. I just wish I hadn't been so busy with work, maybe then I could've gotten to know you better, and now I'm scared that I've lost that chance, and in doing so, I've lost you forever."

"You'll never lose me," Albus said, smiling up at him, "After all, I'm a Slytherin. Family's meant to be, like, the most important thing to me. Or something. And hey, I turned out alright, didn't I? So you obviously didn't mess me up too bad."

"Time will tell," Harry said with a laugh, ruffling Albus' hair affectionately as he got to his feet.

"Sorry for disturbing you," Albus thought he'd better apologise one last time, just to be on the safe side.

"Nonsense," Harry replied, "I'm glad we had this chat, and if you're ever struggling…. You know you can talk to me, right?"

"Of course," Albus nodded.

As he was turning to leave, Harry glanced down at Scorpius, frowning, "Blimey, that boy can sleep through anything. Incredible."

Albus had to stifle a laugh while his father left the room and closed the door slowly behind him, but the second Scorpius sat up to look at him with a wide-eyed expression, he simply couldn't contain it any longer.

"Shut up!" Scorpius hissed as he crossed the room and settled into Albus' bed, pulling the duvet cover over the both of them, "now come on, we'd better get some sleep. After all, we have plans tomorrow."

"You and your bloody plans..." Albus muttered as he burrowed himself in under the covers, feeling the warm and familiar weight of Scorpius at his side. Within seconds of his head touching the pillow, he fell asleep, and thankfully no more nightmares came to haunt him.

* * *

 

The next morning, Albus awoke with a start to the sound of his alarm clock blaring in his ear. Groggily, he reached for it, only to find that his arm felt too heavy to move. In fact, his whole body felt too heavily, like gravity had suddenly shifted overnight. His head was pounding, too, each peal of the alarm like a drill directly into his brain.

"What the hell?" He muttered as he tried to pull himself up, blinking and trying desperately to focus his eyes, which felt like sandpaper. He realised with a start that Scorpius wasn't by his side, which sent a jolt of panic through him.

"Good morning," Scorpius' said suddenly from somewhere above him, far too brightly considering how early in the morning it was and how little caffeine was probably in his system.

"Go away," Albus grumbled, letting his head fall back onto the pillow, "I think I have the plague."

"Then everything's going according to plan," Scorpius said, as he finally switched off the alarm. Albus groaned in confusion and snuggled deeper into the covers, where everything hurt just a little less. Then, Scorpius' words registered with him, and he opened one eye to glare at him.

"What plan?" He asked, scowling; or at least, he thought he was scowling. He wasn't sure he could move any of the muscles in his face anymore.

"You wanted the day off, and now you have it." Scorpius stated, before sitting down on the bed and pressing his hand to Albus' forehead, "Perfect. Your mum'll never suspect you're not actually ill."

"But we're wizards..." Albus said, feeling himself drift off to sleep once again and forcing himself to open his eyes.

"Very busy wizards who don't have time to tend to every scrape or cold." Scorpius reminded him, "And the second everyone's gone, we sneak out. It's perfect."

"I hate you." Albus said, pouting.

"Feeling's mutual," Scorpius said affectionately, kissing him on the cheek.

At that moment, a loud knock sounded on the door, resounding through Albus' head.

"Time to get up, boys," Ginny shouted through the door, knocking several more times as she did so.

"Hnnnfghhh," Albus responded.

Scorpius opened the door, and Albus would have tried harder to listen to the whispered conversation if Scorpius hadn't given him the plague. Ginny bustled in and pressed her hand to Albus' forehead, wincing.

"Oh dear…" She said, stroking his hair, "I'd give you some potions but I'm afraid we're all out… Will you be alright here today?"

"Hrrmph," Albus replied, trying vainly to nod.

"You'll keep him company, won't you, Scorpius? Oh, is that the time, I really must be off, make sure he drinks plenty of fluids and don't let him have coffee!" With that, she was gone, slamming the door behind her.

"Of course, Mrs. Potter!" Scorpius called, grinning all the while.

"Can I stop dying now, please?" Albus asked, managing by some miracle to pull himself up into a sitting position, though it felt extremely precarious.

"When everyone's gone," Scorpius reassured him as he produced a steaming cup of coffee that he had kept hidden in the cupboard, "with any luck, this will suffice for now."

"Mmmm," Albus said in thanks, taking the mug in his hands and letting it warm them, though he felt that he could drop it at any second, "So. What's the plan?"

Scorpius tapped the side of his nose once, and winked. Albus rolled his eyes and sipped on his coffee in silence as Scorpius flitted about the room, tidying up as he went. Ten minutes or so later, in which time Albus nearly coughed up his lungs and threw coffee all over himself, the front door slammed shut and the house fell silent.

Scorpius snuck downstairs briefly to make sure that the coast was clear, and when he returned, he was grinning practically from ear to ear. Digging into his bag, he pulled out a vial of some fluorescent green potion and handed it to Albus, telling him to down it in one.

"Are you sure?" Albus said, eyeing the potion with some degree of caution and sniffing at it hesitantly. Scorpius nodded, and so, reluctantly, he did as Scorpius had told him. The potion was vile, burning at the back of his throat like acid, but within seconds Albus began to feel less groggy and more like an actual, functioning human being.

"Well, at least you gave me the antidote," Albus said, leaping out of bed and getting dressed in a flurry of clothes, desperate to see what his day had in store for him, "how did you even get this?"

"The less you know, the better," Scorpius replied cryptically, stowing the empty bottle back into his bag, which he had no doubt charmed so that it was much bigger on the inside than the outside, like in that show they sometimes watched together.

"Am I allowed to ask what we're doing?" Albus asked hopefully, raising an eyebrow as Scorpius grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the room the very second he was presentable.

"No!" Scorpius called as he yanked Albus at full speed down the stairs, "Hey, how do you feel about side-along Apparition?"

"I mean, I wouldn't say I'm the world's biggest fan, but -" Albus couldn't help but shriek as they stepped outside and Scorpius turned on the spot and the world seemed to disintegrate around them. Albus felt like he was being stretched and pulled in a thousand different directions, and he just knew he was going to be sick any second now unless they stopped.

When they finally arrived, Albus found himself falling back onto the dirty grey pavement beneath him, but Scorpius caught him, pulling him upright and dusting off his shirt. Glancing around, Albus realised that they were on a side street like every other side street he had ever been on in his life, and it led onto a busy looking road that looked bursting with people.

"Where are we?" Albus asked, blinking as they stepped into the sunlight and were immediately lost in the throng of people.

"London," Scorpius helpfully provided, smiling back at him as they weaved through the crowds.

"Yeah, thanks, very helpful," Albus snorted with laughter as Scorpius stuck his tongue out at him.

"Okay, alright, here's what I was thinking," Scorpius said, pulling him into the nearest shop where it was a little quieter and pretending to browse through the clothes, "We've lived in London our whole lives, right?"

"Right..."

"But I bet you've never done any of that touristy stuff, especially not the Muggle stuff," Scorpius' eyes were bright as he explained this with an infectious enthusiasm. Albus wanted to kiss him right then and there but he nodded instead.

"Nope," Albus thought about it. He'd seen them all from a distance, but they were a part of his life just as much as the rest of the architecture was, "especially not the Muggle stuff. I wouldn't know where to begin."

"Then follow me," Scorpius said, taking his hand again and leading him out of the shop.

"What are you doing?" Albus hissed, pulling away almost as an automatic reaction.

"What are you doing?" Albus hissed, pulling away almost as an automatic reaction and glancing about to make sure nobody was watching them, which nobody was, of course; they were all meandering down the street and minding their own business.

"Relax," Scorpius said gently, "it's fine. We're in the middle of London, remember? We can be whoever we want to be here."

"You're right," Albus said with a sigh, 'it just feels so weird, not to have to keep it all hidden, you know?"

"I know all too well," Scorpius said, and this time Albus took his hand. He continued, much more brightly, "come on, we're getting the Tube first."

"What?" Albus froze, startled. Somehow, in all of his nearly eighteen years of life, he had managed to avoid ever having to use the Muggle mode of transport that seemed so popular. He and his family had just never seen the need for it; their ways of getting around were easier and infinitely more sensible.

Scorpius rolled his eyes, "Come on, Al, you can't live in London and not get the Tube. I simply won't allow it."

They stopped at the entrance as Albus gaped in shock at the sheer number of commuters and families and seemingly every person in London as they jostled through the ticket barriers. Scorpius handed him a card and directed him towards the ticket barriers, where he followed Scorpius' lead and the strange machines beeped them through.

Albus didn't think he closed his mouth the entire time, as they went down the gigantic escalators were bundled onto the train itself, and as they tried to navigate the complexities of the station itself to change lines. Scorpius held his hand the entire time, and whispered in his ear to let him know what was happening. When they stepped out of the station and back into the blistering heat of the summer day, Albus almost wanted to ask if they could go back and do it all again.

"I never knew London had so many things in it," Albus said, staring slack-jawed at the sights spread out in front of them along the Thames. He and Scorpius had spent the last hour or so simply wandering around, discussing all manner of inconsequential things and gorging themselves on ice cream.

For a little while, he had been able to forget the mess that was his life, as he and Scorpius browsed through records in record shops and Scorpius spent what felt like a blissful forever thumbing through the pages of numerous tomes in the second hand bookshop, and Albus found himself fervently wishing that this was what life could be like everyday. Unfortunately it couldn't be so, but he was determined to make the day last as long as possible.

The rest of the day out passed just as smoothly as the start had. Albus had tried to drag Scorpius onto the London Eye, but Scorpius hadn't brought enough money, so instead they headed to Primrose Hill, where they had spectacular views over the city. Thankfully, the day was warm and cloudless, so they sat together on the grass, blending in with the masses of people, and ate the sandwiches they'd bought as they watched the sprawling metropolis spread out before them.

"Do you ever wish things had been different?" Albus asked a little while later. They had been sitting in comfortable silence for a while, but he had something on his chest that he still needed to get out.

"What do you mean?" Scorpius replied, leaning into Albus and resting his head on his shoulder.

"I don't know, sometimes…." Albus trailed off, considering his words carefully, "Sometimes I just wish we'd done things differently, you know? That we'd become friends in First Year instead of being determined to hate each other. I can't help but think of all that lost time."

"We'll make up for it," Scorpius set, his tone determined.

"I know," Albus said, smiling, "but sometimes, I dunno… Maybe it'd be nice, to go back to the start and relive it all again, but do things differently, do them right."

"It would be nice," Scorpius agreed, "but things are the way they are, and we're going to make the best of it, you and me against the world."

"Together," Albus murmured, nodding.

"I don't want to go back," Albus said a little while later, wrapped up in his own thoughts.

"I know, me neither," Scorpius sighed, "I don't think we have a choice though."

They stayed on the hill for as long as possible, until they knew they couldn't possibly wait a moment longer. Sighing regretfully, they got to their feet, and Scorpius pulled them into a copse of trees so that they could Apparate home unseen by the many Muggle eyes around them.

When they arrived at the doorstep, they were surprised to hear what sounded like shouting coming from inside. Glancing cautiously at each other, they opened the front door and went inside to a chaotic shouting match between Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny. Draco and Astoria stood by the stairs together, watching the scene unfold with tight eyes.

"There you are!" Ginny said when she spotted them, placing a hand over her chest. Draco immediately went over to Scorpius and wrapped him up in a hug. Scorpius glanced at Albus, shrugging.

"Where have you been?" Harry demanded, his eyes fierce.

"We just -" Albus began.

"You know what, it doesn't matter." Harry grabbed something from the hall table and pressed it into Albus' hands, "Here, take this. You need to get out."

"Dad? What's going on?" He asked, regarding the inconspicuous set of keys in his hand with apprehension.

"It's a Portkey, it'll take you somewhere safe, just for a little while." Harry said, shaking his head and laughing humourlessly, "Now take Scorpius, and go. Your sister and cousins are already there."

"Wait, Dad, at least tell me what's going on!" Albus insisted as Scorpius came to stand beside him. He took a few seconds to survey the scene, to try and grasp what exactly was happening, but no matter how hard he tried he simply couldn't understand what was happening.

"I'm sorry, there's no time," Harry said, frantically running his hands through his hair and revealing his scar. Beside him, Ginny looked like she wanted to say something, but she just waved briefly at him, her brows furrowed, "Now, go!"

Frowning, Scorpius grasped onto the keys, and together they spun into oblivion as Albus tried not to think too hard about what the hell had happened to cause this. They landed roughly on an anonymous beach somewhere, the sun beating down on them from overhead even as it was beginning to set. Albus knelt down and vomited onto the sand, unable to contain it any longer.

"Where the hell are we?" He asked, wiping his mouth and letting Scorpius pull him to his feet.

"I don't know..." Scorpius replied, looking out into the distance, where the sea met the sky on the horizon, "but we'll figure this out."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh yeah, sorry about the cliffhanger, too!  
> also, i've been living in london for about two months now and i absolutely love it, so this chapter was kind of a gratuitous love letter both to the city and to al and scor themselves, because they enjoy a little happiness, even if it won't last... ;)


	50. Pink Summer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello and welcome back!! first of all, i am so, so, incredibly sorry that this chapter took so long. i have no excuses other than an absolute sense of writing fatigue post-nanowrimo, but it's mostly faded now, and i can't wait to get properly stuck back into writing. secondly, this chapter is named after the song 'pink summer' by summer camp, and i sincerely hope that you all enjoy it and take some time out of your day to leave a comment or some kudos, it would mean a lot. and last of all, happy new year!!! it's currently half two in the morning but i just had to post this chapter before i went to sleep, so i hope it was worth it ;)

"It's not how much you love - it's how much you are loved"

"Albus!" A shrill voice called, but Albus was so disoriented that he could see little more than the sand underneath his feet and the sparse yellow grass that had tried to grow there. The voice grew louder, more persistent, until suddenly someone barrelled into him, wrapping their arms tightly around his torso.

"I'm so glad you're alright," The voice said, brimming with affection. Familiar curly hair tickled at his cheek, and he came to his senses at last, hugging his cousin back just as tightly.

"Rose," He breathed a sigh of relief, "what the hell happened?"

Rose stepped back, hugging Scorpius briefly, and frowned, as if trying to find the right words. Above their heads, a cloud passed in front of the sun, and Albus shivered involuntarily, rubbing at his bare arms and wishing he had had at least a little time to prepare.

"I don't even know," Rose admitted, folding her arms. Her bottom lip was quivering slightly, as if she were going to burst into tears at any moment, "I'd be surprised if I knew any more than you. Mum just said something about danger and imminent and Dad just looked like he was going to punch something."

"So… Where are we, exactly?" Scorpius asked, glancing about at the sand dunes and the seaweed sprinkled along the shore as the waves roared despite the mild day.

"Just this way," Rose said, heading away from the beach and up a steep slope, at the top of which was a little cottage, perfectly picturesque like the type to be found in a fairytale book, "Shell Cottage. It's where our parents hid during the last war… And oh, just you wait till you see who's inside!"

She perked up at the idea of this and practically sprinted towards the little house. Smoke was billowing out of the chimney and it was all lit up from the inside, giving off a distinct air of warmth and cosiness.

"Is Lily inside?" Albus asked, frowning, as they jogged up the front path, panting and out of breath.

"Yep, and Hugo too," Rose nodded, smiling just a little too brightly to be entirely convincing, "basically all of us who are still at Hogwarts, which admittedly isn't many, oh and -"

At that moment the front door was flung wide open and Teddy stepped out, grinning as he spotted the three of them standing at the doorstep. His hair was bright turquoise as usual, and he looked exactly as Albus remembered, which was saying something.

"Teddy!" Albus wrapped him up in a hug, letting the sense of comfort and familiarity he brought wash over him.

"Hey there, kid," He beamed, his hair briefly turning a fluorescent shade of yellow, "and Scorpius, it's good to finally meet you at last, seeing as we're cousins or something."

"We are?" Scorpius raised an eyebrow, his posture slanted and awkward, "Sure."

"Now come inside, there's dinner, and – oh – Victoire and I have a massive surprise for you." With that, Teddy led the three of them inside, and into what was probably the quaintest little house Albus had ever seen, with its wooden beams and homely decorations. He wasn't sure he would mind having to live here for a little while.

In the kitchen, Victoire was standing in front of the stove with her back to them, waving her wand in a complicated series of patterns, her long blonde hair tied up in a bun. Lily and Hugo were sat together in the corner of the room playing an intense game exploding snap, and barely seemed to notice when Albus, Scorpius and Rose entered.

"Albus, it's good to have you here at last!" Victoire said, turning to face them. Albus tried to stop his jaw from hitting the ground as she turned to reveal her heavily pregnant stomach. So this was the massive surprise that she and Teddy had in store for them… Albus just wondered how they had managed to hide it from the rest of the family.

"Isn't it great?" Rose asked, practically beaming as she hugged Victoire. Then she gasped, turning to face Scorpius, "Their baby and Cassie are going to be best friends, I just know it!"

"Well, we'll just have to wait and see," Scorpius said, "it might be a little too early to tell."

"Or it might be another you and Albus type of thing," Rose mused, as Victoire turned back to the cooking, having hugged Albus briefly in greeting. They headed over to the table where Hugo and Lily sat as they finally noticed their cousins and siblings had arrived.

"Uh… What do you mean, Rose?" Scorpius asked, raising an eyebrow as he was accosted by Lily, who fussed over him and made sure he was alright, sparing not a thought for her older brother. Albus didn't mind, though; it was a good excuse to laugh at the expression on Scorpius' face as he received so much attention.

"I mean the whole hatred to friendship thing..." She trailed off, sighing almost wistfully, "It's the kind of thing people write epic stories about, or make films about. Of course, that isn't the end of the story, but..."

She glanced at Hugo, who had pulled out his phone and was playing games on it with his tongue stuck out in concentration, still paying them no mind at all. Rose settled for winking, instead, as Albus jabbed her in the side with his elbow.

"So," Teddy announced as he strolled casually into the room, his hands thrust deep into his pockets, "Take a seat, all of you. I believe we have a lot to discuss."

Sighing, Hugo put his phone back into his pocket, as everyone else took a seat around the table. Albus' hand found Scorpius' under the table and he squeezed it gently, reassuringly. Whatever Teddy was about to tell them, they could get through it, just as they had struggled through everything life had thrown at them before and come out the other side, battered and bruised but all the stronger for it.

"Right, where to begin..." Teddy hummed to himself, tapping his chin with his finger. His hair turned a dull shade of mousy brown, reflecting the seriousness of the situation, "Victoire and I have been hiding out here for a while; this cottage belonged to her parents, and they were more than willing to let us have it because of the baby and everything. That's why we're here.

"Now… You guys. We received word via Patronus a couple of days ago that some of you might be coming to stay here – which was fine by us. The more the merrier, and all that. The message wasn't crystal clear, but it was something about threatening messages being sent to the house, I don't know exactly."

"I haven't heard anything of the sort," Rose said, frowning.

"Your parents didn't want you to know." Teddy stated simply, his eyes brimming with compassion and sympathy, "But you're here now – and you're  _safe_  – and that is what matters to me, and to them, I'm sure, more than anything else in the world. We're hidden here, away from the rest of the world. You'll be free to do what you wish, to act your age for once."

"But we wanted to help," Albus said, his words catching in his throat. It was true; he did want to help, more than anything, but Teddy was right. They needed a break, needed time to be themselves and act their age for just a little longer. And they were safe, a word which had almost come to lose all meaning for Albus over the past year or so.

"I know, Al," Teddy sighed, reaching out and patting Albus gently on the shoulder, "but trust me, this is for the best. It's wonderful here. Fleur even charmed the cottage so that it has its own sort of Room of Requirement, so there's really no better place, except perhaps Hogwarts itself."

"Even Hogwarts wasn't safe at the end..." Rose said, her voice almost distraught, "But this… Thank you for welcoming us into your home, we all appreciate it greatly, don't we?"

Albus mumbled a thank you, as the other three did the same. Almost inexplicably, he felt tears sting at the corners of his eyes as he felt his heart swell in emotion and gratitude for Teddy and his cousin.

"Well, you guys should know that you're welcome here anytime, even after the baby is born," Victoire said as, with her wand, she guided several plates through the air which landed on the table in front of each of them. Albus, who had not eaten all that long ago, tucked in happily, as the time he had spent with Scorpius on Primrose Hill now felt like it was years ago.

"I just hope that all of this has died down by then..." Teddy said, his hair briefly turning a dull and lifeless shade of mousy brown, before returning to its usual vibrant turquoise. This didn't go amiss by Victoire, however, who smiled sadly at her husband and patted him on the shoulder.

"It will," She said soothingly, before turning to the five teenagers who were still stuffing their faces, "but for now, I want you guys to relax. You need a break, you need to be able to forget everything that's happened, just for a little while."

"But I don't get it," Albus said, frowning, "Rose, Scorpius, and I are of age. Surely the Order need whoever they can get, to help fight."

"Do you want to fight?" Teddy asked, leaning forward and fixing Albus with an intense gaze, his eyes turning from blue, to green, to hazel at random intervals, as if he couldn't make up his mind.

Albus sighed, shaking his head, "No. Of course I don't. But this isn't about what we want -"

"Why can't it be?" Teddy kept probing, "You're still young, and these last few months have been hard, we all know that. Can you blame your parents for wanting to give you a break? For allowing you to get away from the horrors like they couldn't when they were your age?"

"I – I guess," Albus stumbled over his words, faltering. He had heard about what his parents had been through; his father, on a cross-country search with Rose's parents for the remaining Horcruxes, and his mother, forced to stay at Hogwarts under a cruel regime as a known blood-traitor. All things given, he didn't have it so bad, but somehow that did little to reassure him.

Teddy nodded, his expression bordering on smug, "Exactly. Now, it's getting late, and you've no doubt all had a long day, so get to bed. Rose will show you and Scorpius to your room."

"When did you become so serious?" Albus asked, half-jokingly, as everyone began to head upstairs. Rose tapped her foot impatiently once everyone else had vanished. Scorpius lingered in the doorway behind her, his brows furrowed in worry.

"Around the time Victoire told me she was pregnant," Teddy grinned, clapping Albus on the shoulder, "now, go. I'll see you in the morning.

"Night, Teddy," Albus said, as he followed Rose up the stairs, still astounded by the change he saw in him. He supposed that was just a part of growing up, learning to take responsibility for others as well as yourself. It would take some getting used to, but Albus couldn't wait to see Teddy be a father, though it was difficult to imagine him acting s anything other than an older brother, just as he had always been to him.

The second Albus stepped foot into the room Rose led him to, exhaustion finally caught up to him and settled over him like a blanket. Sighing wearily, he settled down next to Scorpius on one of the two beds in the room and let the other boy put his arms around him, squeezing his hand in a way that reassured him, even if just a little, that everything would be alright in the end.

Rose lingered in the doorway for a moment, her eyes tight, glaring at the two of them as if this were somehow their fault, "We need to do something. We can't just sit around here, waiting until someone gets hurt or injured or something -"

Scorpius shook his head and patted the empty space at his other side. Reluctantly, Rose came and sat by him, leaning her head on his shoulder with a huff. The three of them sat together in silence, hardly daring to speak for fear that the perfect silence would be shattered. Albus thought back to afternoons spent in the rain, evenings spent drinking too much alcohol and the absolute certainty that throughout it all, Rose and Scorpius would be there for him, as they always had been.

Eventually, Albus replied, "There's nothing we can do. Teddy's right. We're better off here, away from the danger, even if it's just for a week or so. They're giving us a chance that they never had. A chance to kick back, relax, act our age for once."

Rose smirked, "I guess now's as good a time as any to mention the firewhisky I managed to smuggle in with me."

Albus fought the urge to gag as Scorpius stared at her, wide-eyed, "You never drink!"

She shrugged, "There's a first time for everything. I want to see what it's like, and as you've said, this is perhaps our only chance to truly be ourselves."

"Maybe tomorrow," Scorpius said, punctuating his point with a wide yawn. Albus jabbed him in the side as he lay down on the bed, his eyes closed, "Hey!"

"This may be our only chance to see Rose Weasley drunk, and you're just going to miss that because you're tired?" Albus frowned at him, but Scorpius' eyelids remained firmly shut.

"It's fine," Rose said, stowing the alcohol away in her bag and getting back to her feet, patting Scorpius on the head as she did so and smiling fondly at the pair of them, "I should head to bed now, there's little chance of a decent night's sleep if I'm sharing with Lily, she's a talker."

"Wait, Hugo has a room all to himself?" Albus asked, affronted.

Rose raised her eyebrow at him, "Would you want to share a room with him?" She asked, glancing pointedly in Scorpius' direction. Albus grinned sheepishly before kissing Scorpius gently on the forehead. Scorpius replied with a sleepy and muffled breath, but his lips were parted slightly in a smile.

"Point proven," Rose said, winking at Albus, "now, I'm going to sleep, before I vomit."

"Rose is silly," Scorpius mumbled, his eyes still tightly shut.

"She's in my family." Albus pointed out, "That's enough to make anyone silly."

"You're not silly," He giggled.

"You are," Albus said, "now come on, Rose is right."

"C'mere," Scorpius said, his voice muffled with ever encroaching sleep, reaching out wildly until he grasped onto Albus' t-shirt and pulled him weakly down onto the bed, barely even reacting as Albus snuggled into him, breathing in the familiar scent of him and letting it wash over him.

In moments, the pair of them were fast asleep, breathing in tandem. Albus had never felt so safe, so loved, and with Scorpius by his side, all thoughts of his parents and the Pureblood Knights seemed completely inconsequential.

* * *

Albus awoke with a jolt, aware of some distant noise that had woken him. Groaning, he pulled himself up, carefully removing Scorpius' arm from around his torso as he did so. The digital clock on the desk flashed the time at him, around four in the morning. The curtains were open, and outside he could just see the first rays of dawn beginning to light up the world. He yawned, unable to stop himself, and got ready to settle back onto the bed.

But then another thud sounded, and in a second, without even considering the consequences, he was out of the door, not even bothering to collect his wand on the way out. He held his breath as he tiptoed down the corridor, blinking in the dim light. From Teddy and Victoire's room he could make out the sounds of slow, heavy breathing, and from Rose and Lily's room he could just about make out Lily's unconscious mutterings.

Sighing and rolling his eyes at his own stupidity, he turned back to his own room, which was when he heard the decisive sound of the front door being shut, the lock clicking into place. Whoever it was, they weren't even trying to be quiet, and so Albus assumed that it was safe to follow, leaving the front door open so as not to waken anybody else.

He could just about make out a silhouette in the distance, instantly recognisable by its mop of familiar and frizzy hair. Cursing to himself, he broke into a jog, until he was only a few metres behind Rose, who turned back to glare at him briefly before she continued her quick pace along the beach.

She was dressed like she didn't intend to return, her rucksack bulging with numerous items and letting out a soft clanging with each step she took. She was wearing her sturdiest pair of walking boots, and her expression was one of grim determination, punctuated by the dark bags under her eyes that suggested she had been up all night.

"Come back," Albus pleaded, shivering in only his t-shirt and jeans in the weak early morning light, as a cold breeze played across the sands, leaving goosebumps across his bare arms.

"I have to go back." Rose insisted, storming on ahead, leaving Albus to jog desperately after her until he could finally get in front of her and stop her. Albus took a horrified step back as Rose pulled her wand on him, waving it frantically in his face, "I've been up all night worrying, and I can't just leave our parents to it. There's so much left to do, so much we still don't know."

"You're going to be no help like this," Albus said, hoping Rose would lower her wand, but she only thrusted it closer into his face, as he tried not to flinch. Albus took a deep breath, trying to calm his frazzled nerves, trying to make sense of his scattered, sleepy thoughts, "Rose, please. At least get a decent rest. Then maybe we'll consider this, okay? But until then, you're in no fit state to be making decisions like this, to be running off in the middle of the night."

Rose's wand hand shook slightly, but her expression remained fierce, her eyes livid, wild, like that of a creature let out of its cage for the first time in its life, "Please, Albus. Let me go."

"No." Albus said firmly. He grabbed Rose's hand and lowered it gently. She didn't even bother to protest; she simply let her hand come back to rest on her leg, her wand pointed safely at the ground, "What's gotten into you? Did you drink that firewhisky?"

Rose shook her head, letting out a humourless laugh, "No. I stared at it for a long time before I realised that it wasn't going to solve anything. If I want to make a difference, then I can't just sit around and wait for a difference to be made. I have to do it myself!"

"Maybe later, when you've had a proper rest," Albus suggested In the distance, he could see lights appear in a window of Shell Cottage, and he frowned, "Come on, I think they've noticed we're gone."

Rose sighed, her shoulders slumped in admittance of defeat. If there was one thing Rose hated, it was defeat, but she took it more graciously than Albus would have expected, letting him lead her back to the little house as the sun at last made its appearance over the horizon, setting the sea ablaze in fiery and beautiful shades of red and orange.

"If I'd left, I'd have missed this," She mused quietly from beside him, smiling slightly.

"And if you hadn't tried, you would've missed it too," Albus noted.

"Maybe that was my intention all along," She said with a wry, but not altogether convincing, smile, like she was trying her utmost to hold herself together and not let the cracks in her demeanour show, though Albus was certain that they were there, if he had the energy to search hard enough. He settled for grimacing back at her and squinting at the sunlight.

Outside the cottage, Scorpius stood by the door, frowning at them, his arms crossed across his chest. Thankfully, he was alone, and when Rose spotted him, she seemed to turn even further in on herself, tears glinting in the corner of her eyes.

"What the hell are you both doing?" Scorpius asked, squinting at them. His hair was a halo around his face, lit up with the colours of the vibrant early morning. Albus just shook his head as subtly as possible and he nodded back in understanding, patting Rose awkwardly on the shoulder as they entered the house.

Albus and Rose sat down at the kitchen table as Scorpius made them coffee. Albus was struggling to keep his eyes open, every other breath punctuated by a wide yawn, and Rose was sitting with her face pressed against the table, eliciting an occasional tortured sigh.

"I just wanted to make a difference," She said, brushing her hair from her mouth. Scorpius placed a steaming mug of coffee and she downed it in one, "I just want to help but I feel… Beyond clueless! I don't know what I was thinking, leaving in the middle of the night like that.

She sat up, the coffee having apparently started its work. Albus held onto his own cup as if for dear life, deeply inhaling the familiar scent and letting it soothe his senses.

"What you need is a distraction," Scorpius considered, leaning against the kitchen counter, "and I have just the thing!"

Without another word, he was off, his footsteps thundering on the staircase. Albus winced, praying to whatever gods there may be that Scorpius didn't wake the entire household up. It was five in the morning now, but that was still no time to be out of bed or even awake, in his opinion.

He returned seconds later, his arms laden with books, which he put down onto the table with a loud thud that startled Albus and sent coffee flying over the rim of his cup. He raised an eyebrow at Scorpius, who was looking at Rose expectantly, and he couldn't help but smile at the very depth of his feelings for him, even at such an ungodly hour and with very little caffeine in his system.

"What's all this?" Albus asked, slurping his coffee and ignoring Rose's glare in his direction.

"My school books. We all have plenty of work to do, and there's no better time than now to do it." Scorpius scooted into the chair next to Albus and pulled open the top book, a thick tome about Transfiguration, which Albus was thankful he had no need for.

"I can think of a better time," Albus grumbled, but Scorpius just kissed him on the cheek, which he certainly couldn't grumble about.

"I've kind of… Already done all of my summer work," Rose admitted.

"When in Merlin's name did you find the time?" Albus asked, genuinely astonished. Albus hadn't spared even a thought to his summer work since the moment the Hogwarts Express had picked them up from Hogsmeade station, and it was a rather unwelcome reminder.

"Well then, you can help Albus and I!" Scorpius suggested, nudging her.

"You know what? That's actually a great idea." Rose practically beamed as she pushed away the Transfiguration book and instead pulled out their Herbology textbook, "Now, Albus, I believe you've been having trouble learning the different varieties of venomous tentacula…"

Albus rolled his eyes at Scorpius, but in short order, the three of them were absorbed in the work, and it turned out that Scorpius was right, after all; for a little while, he was able to forget about things back home as he filled his head up with the names of various plant species.

The sun continued to rise around them as the bright and sunny morning continued to dawn. At some point, Albus having lost track of the time, Teddy and Victoire came downstairs, particularly bemused to find the three teenagers hard at work.

Still laughing and whispering amongst themselves as they fussed about the kitchen, they made pancakes for everybody, the smell of which drew Hugo and Lily up at last. Albus was surprised to realise that it was nearly ten in the morning already, and he felt more alert and awake than he had in a long while.

"It's the sea air," Teddy said, smiling wryly at Albus, who had been looking about himself suspiciously.

"In fact, it's a wonderful day," Victoire said, placing her hand on Teddy's shoulder, "you should all go and make the most of it."

That was how the five teenagers found themselves being bundled out of the house not fifteen minutes later, with buckets and spades, hats, and warnings to keep out of the sun if it got too hot.

"I'm not a child," Hugo muttered, pulling his cap off and stuffing it into his pocket, "and this is ridiculous. There isn't even any decent signal here."

Rose rolled her eyes as Hugo set off in search of better signal, his mobile phone held aloft in front of him. The four of them followed after him, Lily giggling as he tripped over the powedery sand in his quest for internet. Albus had never had a phone and he didn't really see the sppeal, but he followed after, anyway, his heart light and his spirits soaring.

"Whoa, check this out!" Hugo shouted suddenly, disappearing from sight around a bend in one of the cliffs. He sounded more excitable than he had in years, and it was infectious. Not caring who saw or what anybody thought, Albus grabbed Scorpius' hand, and they raced after his cousin, as the object of his excitement finally came into view.

"It's a cave!" Scorpius enthused, dropping Albus' hand and rushing over to explore it.

"I wonder how far back it goes?" Hugo wondered, pocketing his phone at last and leaping up onto the rocks.

Albus stared at the jagged hole in the cliffs in wonder, at the small stream flowing out of the mouth of the cave and over the sand, into the sparkling turquoise ocean. He took a hesitant step towards it, then kept going, keeping as close to Scorpius as he could.

Inside, Hugo had pulled his phone back out and was snapping pictures of the cave, Rose and Scorpius were examining the walls and trying to work out what sort of rock the cave was made out of. Lily was laughing and poking fun at them, trying to weasel her way into Hugo's photos.

As they delved deeper into the cage, the natural light disappeared entirely, leaving them completely in the dark. In seconds, Hugo had turned on his torch's phone, but the darkness sent a wave of anxiety through Albus, reminding him grimly of the time spent locked in that tiny room, of the hours he spent fruitlessly searching through the Forbidden Forest.

He tried desperately to steady his breathing, but it was all for nothing. He stumbled onto a rock and sat down, the world spinning in front of him. He felt almost like he was slipping in and out of consciousness, that the world was disappearing in front of his very eyes.

"Hey, you want to get out of here?" Scorpius asked in a whisper from beside him. Albus nodded, and Scorpius took his hand, running his thumb over Albus' in a way that seemed to make all of his fears and anxieties just wash away. They weren't gone entirely, of course, but by the time they had gone far enough that sunlight began streaming in through the mouth of the cave, he felt like he had a solid grip on reality once more, and his breathing was more or less even.

"It's pathetic, isn't it?' He said with a breathy laugh, "Being afraid of the dark like that. I'm seventeen, for Merlin's sake!"

"It's not pathetic at all," Scorpius said, guiding Albus to a rocky outcrop just outside the entrance of the cave, where they sat together. Albus leaned into him, breathing in the smell of him and wondering just how it was that Scorpius always managed to make him feel safe, like he was home at last.

"I'm sorry anyway," He said, grimacing.

"You don't need to apologise, it's fine," Scorpius assured him, "I think it's time for lunch, anyway. Come on, let's get a head start.'

Without a word of warning, Scorpius was off, sprinting across the sand. He glanced back at Albus briefly, gesturing wildly for him to join, which he did, grinning as he caught up with Scorpius at last. Scorpius lead them right to the water's edge, where they both yanked their shoes off and felt the sand between their toes, the cool water rushing up to their ankles.

"This is the most fun I've ever had," Albus said, giggling as Scorpius splashed him with water and Albus retaliated by jumping onto his back and threatening to push him under the waves. Scorpius retaliated quickly, pushing the both of them into the water. Albus spluttered, feeling the water rush into his mouth and nose, and grabbed hold of Scorpius, pulling him further under the waves.

"Stop!" Scorpius shrieked through his laughter. Relenting, Albus pulled him up out of the water, only for Scorpius to push Albus right back in the second he found equal footing. Albus was ready to shove Scorpius back under the water, but the second he was out of the water, Scorpius grabbed his shoulders and kissed him.

The kiss was messy, but marvellous. Scorpius' lips tasted of seawater and the waves were crashing over them, but it was all inconsequential as long as Scorpius was there, his fingers tangled in Albus' damp hair, the world around them ceasing to exist, this time for all of the right reasons.

"Wow," Albus breathed as Scorpius pulled away, his cheeks endearingly pink. He winked, before pushing Albus back under the water. By the time he managed to get himself upright and rub the saltwater from his eyes, Scorpius was back at the shore with Rose, Lily, and Hugo, who thankfully didn't appear to have seen their kiss, if Lily's lack of frantic arm waving was anything to go by.

"Can we eat now?" Lily said insistently as Albus reached the shore, "I'm  _starving_."

"We had pancakes two hours ago!" Rose sighed, but she was grinning.

"But Victoire and Teddy gave us plenty of food… Come on, I found the perfect spot!" Without another word, Lily was off, marching across the sand with her bags in tow. Albus began shaking himself dry before Scorpius scoffed at him and used a quick warming spell which dried him off completely but made him sweat under the harsh midday sun.

"And yes, we did what you guys were up to," Rose said with a wink, "but I think Hugo was too distracted by his phone, which is a shame as I would've loved to have seen the look on his face."

"I already know," Hugo called back, stopping Albus and Scorpius short, "What? I'm not a complete idiot, and you guys aren't particularly great at subtlety."

Albus turned and glanced at each other briefly, wide-eyed, but Rose just snorted with laughter, breaking the odd tension.

"And by the way," Hugo added, "it took you long enough."

With that, he was gone, chasing after Lily. Rose was practically rolling across the sand with laughter, and Albus couldn't help but join in. Knowing that his siblings and cousins were so accepting of him and his relationship, no matter how new and terrifying it may have been, was possibly one of the best feelings in the world. He wondered why he had spent so many weeks worrying and wondering, when it was pretty obvious that they would accept him for who he was no matter what.

Smiling to himself, Albus took Scorpius' hand, and they headed over to where Lily had laid out the picnic blanket, proud and unafraid. With the sun blazing down on them and the gentle sounds of the waves lapping against the shore, and the lack of worry and responsibility that he knew deep down couldn't last, Albus had never felt happier.

On the other hand, he had never felt more certain that something, somehow, would go wrong, but he kept that feeling locked deep inside himself as Rose and Hugo argued over food and Lily rolled her eyes at them, as Scorpius kissed him on the cheek and Lily clapped her hands together and Rose tried not to look like she was going to vomit.

All in all, it was a perfect day, and he refused to let anything spoil that. His parents had given him a chance at freedom, and he would be a fool to let that go to waste, especially in a place where he and Scorpius could be themselves without having to hide or keep secrets from anybody.


	51. It's Getting Boring By The Sea

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> today's chapter is an interlude, hence the shortness, and it's from rose's pov because... who doesn't love rose? it's named after the song 'it's getting boring by the sea' by blood red shoes (which is in the movie scott pilgrim vs the world if you were wondering why it sounded familiar ;). enjoy, and please feel free to let me know what you thought! :)
> 
> (oh yeah, and sorry in advance for the cliffhanger)

"Leave the past at a different door, run away like you did before"

The next week or so passed by in a wonderful blur of days spent lounging on the sand, of evenings spent gossiping by the bonfire in the back garden, of a complete and wonderful absence of worry and fear, and after a day or two, even Rose began to relax a little.

At first she had been angry that Albus had caught her on her desperate but admittedly half-hearted attempt at going back home, but she had quickly adjusted to the quiet life and, if she was honest, she didn't particularly wish to return home, where constant anxiety and an overriding sense of panic were everyday feelings.

It was amazing to see how quickly everyone else relaxed, too, and to see the change in them. Lily and Hugo had shed their demeanours of angst-ridden teenagers, and passed the majority of their time building sandcastles or flinging seaweed at each other. Albus' shoulders were no longer constantly hunched, and he had a constant smile on his face even when Scorpius wasn't around. Scorpius had burned on the first day, which had soon given may to a mass of freckles on his face and up and down his arms and legs, which were in stark contrast to his usually almost translucently pale skin.

And of course, seeing Albus and Scorpius happy together, at long last, was worth everything. To think that she had spent almost two years keeping his secret safe, through everything that had happened, and that it had all turned out alright in the end. It was almost reassuring to know that there could be happy endings, though it often made her think of her own feelings.

She was beginning to come to terms with the fact that she just didn't want to be in love. Sure, her heart practically burst with pride each time she saw Albus and Scorpius together, holding hands and smiling like they were a part of their own secret world, just the two of them, but she couldn't imagine herself ever feeling something like that for another person.

She had been beginning to think that she was broken in some way, that some part of her emotions had just ceased to function at some point, but Lily had assured her that her feelings were very real and legitimate, and that romantic love wasn't a prerequisite to a happy and fulfilling life. She had her friends and her family, and watching them gathered around the bonfire, the stars twinkling above them in a cloudless night, was more than enough.

The day had been like every other, but that was fine. She, Albus, and Scorpius had woken early to complete some more of their summer homework, as Albus sat hunched over his work, grumbling occasionally and taking long sips of his coffee. Once everyone else had had breakfast, they headed down to the nearest village, and spent most of the day browsing the quaint shops and eating fish and chips. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt so content, so at ease with the world.

Eventually they had wandered down to the beach, searching for creatures in rock-pools and making mermaids out of seaweed and sand. It was like every summer holiday Rose had been denied during her childhood because of her mother's commitments had finally been realised, and it was wonderful. She could have spent the rest of her life here, lounging on the sand and breathing in the fresh, salty air.

That evening, they gathered together in Shell Cottage's back garden, which was just as quaint as the cottage itself, with flowerbeds and greenhouses and ivy draped across the stone walls of its exterior. They watched the sun go down, and once it was dark they lit the bonfire. Albus and Scorpius disappeared inside, and returned soon after with blankets and the firewhisky that Rose had been certain she'd hidden somewhere they wouldn't be able to find it.

"Go on, it's your alcohol, it's only fair that you take the first sip," Albus said with a wink. Reluctantly, Rose took the open bottle from him and took a small swig. The taste burned through her mouth and down her throat, but she thought that she managed to keep herself composed pretty well.

"That's disgusting!" She spluttered, passing the bottle to Scorpius, who laughed at her expression before taking a drink. Albus eyed the drink suspiciously, but a few seconds later he took a small step, no doubt wincing at the memories the firewhisky brought back to him.

"Can I try?" Lily asked, her eyes wide with curiosity.

"No, you're too young." Rose said, feeling the warmth of the alcohol pool in her stomach. The sensation wasn't too unpleasant.

"Oh, come on, I'm fifteen!" Lily protested, "I know you guys were already drinking in Fourth Year."

"If you want a good drink, you need the Muggle stuff." Hugo said, nodding wisely.

"When have you ever tried Muggle alcohol?" Rose demanded, narrowing her eyes in her younger brother's direction. He was still fourteen, but admittedly she sometimes found it difficult to realise that he really was no longer a child, no longer the irritating little brother who used to constantly try his utmost to irritate her, much to the annoyance of their parents.

"I do have Muggle friends, you know," He said, rolling his eyes and grabbing the bottle from Scorpius, who didn't even try to resist.

"Look at you!" Rose admonished, "Encouraging bad habits in my little brother. You should be ashamed of yourself!"

Then she giggled, which seemed strange. Grinning, Hugo handed her the bottle, and she drank some more. It didn't burn as much as it had the first time, and she felt warm, comfortable, and above all safe.

"My turn!" Lily said persistently, though when she finally drank some she coughed for a solid minute, "You were right, Rose. That  _is_  disgusting."

"I did warn you," She said with a shrug, "but you guys always have to think you know best."

The ensuing argument lasted nearly ten minutes, by which time the bottle of firewhisky had been drained and everyone was beside themselves with laughter. Albus and Scorpius were sitting pressed together, their arms wrapped around each other. Rose smiled at them knowingly, but Albus simply frowned back before dissolving in a fit of laughter.

"I have a great idea!" Lily announced, grabbing the empty bottle and placing it on the floor, "Truth or dare!"

"This really does feel like being a Fourth Year all over again," Albus said with a snort of laughter, untangling himself from Scorpius and leaning forward eagerly.

Grinning, Lily spun the bottle. It landed on Rose, who rolled her eyes, grimacing. She had always managed to stay far away from the drunken party games that her housemates always seemed to want to play, but there was no backing out now.

"Dare," She said, trying to sound nonchalant.

Lily paused, considering, "I dare you… To jinx someone here!"

"Oh, come on, you know I hate jinxing people." Rose scowled.

"What's that, Weasley?" Scorpius asked with a false air of arrogance, "Not afraid, are you?"

Unsurprisingly, she decided to jinx Scorpius, and within seconds he was on the floor, shrieking at the tickling hex she had placed on him. After a few moments of watching him roll around on the sand, she decided to relent, and he pulled himself back onto his chair with only the occasional spasm.

The bottle landed on Hugo next.

"Truth," He said.

Rose, of course, went for the obvious question, "Who do you fancy?"

"Who's acting like a Fourth Year now?" He asked, raising an eyebrow, "But fine. There's this Sixth Year Ravenclaw, a Chaser, tall, blonde, great a-"

"I think we've heard enough." Lily said, smacking him on the arm and rolling her eyes pointedly in Rose's direction.

The game continued like that for a little while until everybody ran out of interesting questions. They discovered that Scorpius had once swapped his father's instant coffee granules with gravy powder, and that they had sent it off to the company and received quite a decent amount of compensation for it. His parents had laughed for a solid hour when Scorpius had confessed to the crime between violent sobs, and Scorpius was crying with laughter even as he recounted the tale. Lily admitted that she was secretly a massive fan of country music, and everyone ended up doing things they knew they would someday regret as a result of the dares, including Rose, who had ended up skinny-dipping after Scorpius retaliated for the hex. She was only in the water for five seconds, and when she returned she threatened to hex Scorpius into oblivion, which only made him laugh harder, clutching onto Albus as if for dear life.

"I don't want to go home," Lily said a little while later, as the night was drawing to a close. The bonfire was down to its last embers, and Hugo was fast asleep, looking small and vulnerable under his blanket. Scorpius and Albus were whispering amongst themselves as they sat underneath the same blanket, though Albus looked like he was ready to hit the hay at any second.

"I know, but we'll have to soon," Rose said, pulling her legs up and hugging her knees, "besides, it'd probably get boring here after a while. There's only so much to do at the seaside, and I think we've pretty much exhausted our options."

"Yeah, but… It's safe." Lily sighed.

Suddenly, a loud crack rang through the subdued silence of the night, as if someone was Apparating. Hugo sat back up, blinking sleepily around himself as everyone glanced at each other with worried expressions.

"I think I may have spoken too soon," Lily said as the sounds of apparently angry adult voices drifted down to them, getting ever closer.

"What now?" Albus asked, pulling himself to his feet and yawning as he did so.

At that moment, the back door was flung wide open, and Teddy appeared, his expression hard and unreadable. His hair was a dull and lifeless shade of brown, Rose could tell that much even in the dim light.

"We have to leave, don't we?" Rose asked, chewing on her bottom lip with worry as Teddy nodded and gestured for them all to come inside.

Inside, gathered around the kitchen table, stood Draco Malfoy and Professor Longbottom, each with a mug of coffee in hand and matching solemn expressions as Victoire hovered around them uncertainly, her hand placed protectively over her bump.

"Rose, Hugo, there you are!" Neville said, breathing out a sigh of relief. Rose glanced at her brother, who stared back with fear in his eyes.

"What's going on?" Rose asked, taking her brother's hand. For once, he didn't even flinch or try to pull away.

"It's about your father..." Draco said, clearing his throat.

"He's gone missing."

The world as she knew it fell apart under Rose's feet.


	52. You and I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so... it's been a long time, huh? i suspect people were beginning to thing this work had been abandoned, but i couldn't do that! i've kind of had the year from hell, and my mental health has been terrible... but at the same time, it has been nine months since i last updated. i'm so sorry. i hope you'll forgive me, and enjoy today's chapter, which is named after the song 'you and i' by pvris. feel free to comment, my writing is probably a little rusty so i welcome any and all feedback. thank you

"I can't keep you in these arms, so I'll keep you in my mind"

Albus sat staring blankly at the familiar wall of the front room of his aunt and uncle's house, a half-full mug of coffee clutched to his chest that had long since gone cold. On the left side of the sofa, Rose was sleeping fitfully, her eyes still puffy and swollen from the long hours of sobbing and weeping. On his right side was Scorpius, whose hand clutched his like a lifeline. Every so often he would nod off before lethargically forcing himself to wake again, pinching himself and smiling unconvincingly up at Albus

In the room there was complete silence, save for the ticking of the clock that indicated it was a little after four o'clock in the morning. On the other sofa, Lily and Hugo were fast asleep, Lily with her thumb in her mouth. Hugo tossed and turned as if plagued by nightmares, but thankfully neither he nor Lily woke up.

Adults came and went, members of the Order and various Aurors that Albus didn't recognise, but they all shook their heads and glanced surreptitiously towards the sleeping Weasley siblings. From upstairs he could hear shouting that sounded an awful lot like his Aunt Hermione. He couldn't begin to imagine how she must have been feeling, and the very thought made him clutch Scorpius' hand even harder until his own hand went numb.

Through the curtains, which nobody had bothered to close, the sun was beginning to rise, bathing the room in a weak and watery light. Beside him, Rose occasionally jolted awake, sighing when she caught Albus' expression and settling back to sleep, her face scrunched up as if to stop herself from crying.

At some point, Albus must have drifted off, though he had certain he would be up right through the night. His mug of coffee was nowhere to be found, and Scorpius was snoring softly next to him, their hands no longer linked together.

Sighing and rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he got to his feet, desperate to find his parents and find out if they knew anything yet, but the only sign of them was a note left on the kitchen counter, ' _Following a lead, back soon. Help yourselves to breakfast. Harry x'_ , which Albus scrunched up and threw at the wall in frustration.

"They're gone?" Rose asked, startling him. She yawned as she bent down and picked up the piece of paper from the kitchen floor, sighing as she read its contents. Albus simply nodded as he switched the kettle on and began making drinks for everyone.

"This doesn't feel real," Rose admitted a few minutes later, once she had poured herself a cup of tea, "I feel like this is a nightmare, one I can't wake up from… It's ridiculous, really. I keep telling myself that Dad's going to be fine – you were, after all – but something about this feels different, somehow."

"I know what you mean," Albus said, trying to temper the frustration that was continuing to build within him, "I was already back by this point. But you have to remember, the Aurors know what they're doing – and your dad was one of them. Finding him will be their highest priority."

"It still doesn't feel like enough," Rose said, frowning as if she were unable to find the right words.

At that moment Hugo stumbled into the room, with the same expression he had worn the previous night, one of disbelief and abject horror. He glanced at Rose, who shook her head sadly and bit her lip, hardly daring to look her own brother in the eye. Hugo just shrugged awkwardly, but his expression was one of resignation, his eyes tight.

"We'll get through this," Albus said, more to convince himself than his two cousins, "we always have, and we always will."

He only wished he believed that.

Over the next few hours, he grew tense and restless, and he was certain that the rest of his family felt much the same. He just wanted something – anything – to happen, some news on his Uncle Ron's whereabouts or just something tangible that would give him hope, but there was nothing but silence. Even the shouting from upstairs had ceased, and he found he rather missed the distraction of it, as his own thoughts were going nowhere.

At some point, during one of the longest mornings of Albus' life, Scorpius and Lily joined them in the kitchen, nobody saying a word, the tension only continuing to grow. Albus stared into his mug of coffee long after it was empty, wishing that this day was over and hoping with everything he had that his uncle was found safe.

Albus was jolted from his reverie by Hugo beginning to pace around the kitchen, his fists balled up at his sides. The sound of his heavy footfalls on the linoleum quickly began to grate, and with the lack of sleep Albus' nerves were close to fraying.

"For Merlin's sake, Hugo, sit down!" Rose snapped.

"Why?" Hugo shouted back defiantly, "Why are we supposed to just sit here, twiddling our thumbs, while our dad is out there somewhere, missing? Are we just supposed to be okay with that?"

"No, of course not," Rose said in almost a whisper, sounding utterly defeated, "but we're here because we haven't graduated from Hogwarts yet – we can't protect ourselves against the people who want to hurt us and our family."

"Albus has!" Hugo pointed out, waving his hands in his cousin's direction.

"And it was pure luck that I got through it at all," Albus said, sighing, "I know it sounds tempting, rushing off and saving the day, being a hero like the people we grew up around, but it's exhausting and terrifying. I don't know how our parents did it then, or how they still manage to do it now. Rose is right."

"Whatever," Hugo grumbled, turning around and stomping up the stairs before slamming his bedroom door shut behind him. Rose put her head in her hands, her body shaking as if she were trying not to cry. Albus glanced at Scorpius, who looked pale and mystified.

"It'll be okay," Lily said from where she stood, leaning against the counter with a bowl of cereal in her hands. She sounded sure of it, and that seemed to be what everybody needed. Rose sat back up straight, wiping the tears from her eyes with the back of her sleeve.

"You're right – it has to be!" Rose sniffed as Albus silently handed her a tissue. For a few moments there was a calm silence, as Lily drank the milk from her cereal bowl and Rose pulled out one of her textbooks and began to work, something which always seemed to calm her nerves, though Albus had never understood how she could do it. Scorpius' hand found his, and Albus squeezed it gently, hoping Scorpius drew as much comfort from the action as he did.

At that moment the front door was flung open, followed by shouts and curses. The four of them jumped up, racing to the entrance of the house. A spell flashed in front of Albus' eyes, and he froze in fear as his Uncle Ron appeared, and the front door was at last shut, the shouts fading to a low din.

"Dad!" Rose cried, wrapping her arms around him and sobbing into his shoulder, apparently unaware of the blood trickling down his face and the way he winced as she held him, but hugged her back nonetheless. Behind Ron in the hallway were Albus' parents, his Aunt Hermione, and Draco Malfoy, all of whom looked almost as worse for wear as Ron did.

"They're still outside," Ginny said in a whisper. Albus glanced around her, for the first time noticing the figures standing in an ominous row on the street, wands pointed directly at the house.

"There's no way they're getting in," Harry said, his voice hard, "Ron and I put up the wards ourselves."

"Still," Hermione said, nodding in the direction of the hooded figures as she gently stroked Rose's hair, "I don't want to risk anything. Is that safehouse we talked about still available?"

"Yes, but – it's all we have left," Harry admitted. Albus watched the exchange silently, his mind warring between relief at having his uncle back safely and worry at the figures outside, though he knew the wards would hold up well enough.

"I don't care, Harry," Hermione snapped, wincing at her own tone of voice, "this is my family's safety we're talking about."

"I know, 'Mione, but -" he started.

"I'm taking Ron to St. Mungo's, and then we're going to that safehouse." Hermione said sternly.

Harry simply nodded, defeated, pinching the bridge of his nose. He looked a wreck, with deep shadows under his eyes and the scars on his forehead and cheek, now both faded, but that was nothing compared to Ron, who was covered in slowly drying blood, one eye swollen shut.

"Come on, Hugo, we're going," Hermione said gently to her son, who had been creeping silently down the stairs, unnoticed by everyone but his own mother. He nodded sullenly and straightened up, ever the picture of a typical teenage boy, even in times like this.

Rose had stopped fussing over her father, and turned to face Albus and Scorpius, who both stood awkwardly in the doorway to the kitchen. Albus' hand hovered next to Scorpius', desperate to take it, but he couldn't quite bring himself to in front of his family, not yet; it wasn't as if they would even notice, but the very fact of doing it in front of them was still just too much.

"I'll be back later, to let you know how Dad's doing," Rose said with a false brightness, seemingly unaware of the blood mixed into her hair and smeared across her face and her t-shirt. Albus could only nod, "Come on Hugo, we can Apparate there together."

"I'd best take Ron," Hermione said with an echo of her daughter's forced jolliness, "I don't trust not to splinch himself even at the best of times."

Harry grinned back, clapping his best friend on the shoulder, "I'll send some of my best Aurors along in a little while. And stay out of trouble!"

With that, the four of them were gone in a series of loud bangs which only made Albus cringe. Merlin, he really needed to get a decent night's sleep, but with the hooded figures just outside his door he knew he wouldn't be sleeping easily for a long while.

"Dad, what the hell happened?" Lily asked, her eyes wide.

Sighing, Harry drew them all into the living room, and once coffees had been brought in to revive everyone a little, and Draco had disappeared upstairs to check on his wife and child, he began to explain what had happened. It was the usual story – a recon mission gone badly wrong, a ransom brought to Hermione that she had flatly refused to pay, and an almost successful rescue mission, had it not led the enemy right to their doorstep.

It sounded like the stuff from an action thriller, the kind of thing that was always on Muggle television late at night, and Albus almost would have laughed at the absurdity of it all, if it weren't for the fact that this was his life, and his family, and he had been through almost the same ordeal himself.

"I just wonder when this is all going to be over," Harry admitted with a frown, the lines on his face deep and shadowed. This whole ordeal seemed to have aged his parents prematurely, and when Albus looked closely at his father he noticed grey hair at his temples that he was certain hadn't been there before, an expression on his mother's face that made her look older than she was.

"We defeated the enemy last time, and I'm certain that we'll do it again," Ginny said with no real certainty in her voice.

"But at what cost? How long until more lives are lost? Our children are already involved, have already been hurt, and I don't know how much more I can take!" Harry got to his feet and began pacing the room.

"I know, love," Ginny said quietly.

Deciding he couldn't take another second of seeing his parents like this, Albus slipped out of the room. Only when he was lying in his bed did he let the full weight of everything that was happening fall on him, in great rasping sobs that shook his entire body.

Afraid that he would be heard, Albus buried his face in his pillow until the sobs began to die off. He couldn't help but agree with his father; how much more could he and his family take? How much more would they have to suffer? How many more fights would his parents put themselves through before their marriage couldn't take the strain anymore?

Sighing, he sat up, shaking his head to try and dispel the negative thoughts that would no doubt consume him if he let them. Thinking like this was going to get him nowhere, but the thoughts just kept coming, vivid memories of the past few months, the red flashes of spells and crimson blood and fear, all potent and acrid and overwhelming.

"Hey, you alright?" It was Scorpius, peering round the door. The very sight of him, with his familiar pale blonde hair and eyes like a storm, was enough to let Albus know that everything would be alright. If he had Scorpius, he was unstoppable.

"Are you?" Albus couldn't help but ask, knowing that none of this was easy for either of them.

Scorpius stepped into the room, shutting the door behind him, "I believe I asked first."

"I mean," Albus couldn't help but lean into Scorpius as he sat down next to him on the bed, "I don't think anyone's alright. But we're here, and we're doing all we can."

"You're really amazing, you know that?" Scorpius said, smiling down at him.

Albus blushed and swatted Scorpius away, "Shut up."

"I'll stop telling you how amazing you are when you start believing it," Scorpius said matter-of-factly, his own cheeks flushed with pink.

"I'll start believing it when I defeat the bloody Pureblood Knights," Albus said in a grumble, resisting the urge to cross his arms in front of him in order to push Scorpius away. He didn't need to hide any part of him anymore, he knew that, but old habits died hard.

Defeating the Pureblood Knights had always felt like an impossibility, some unreachable goal that brought him comfort when everything around him was turning to shit, but lately he had begun to consider that there could be an end in sight, if only because of his wandless magic. Some might have called it fate, but Albus knew he had a unique gift, one that would give him an advantage that even his father didn't have. He just had to be brave enough.

"I don't doubt for a second that you could do it," Scorpius said, considering, "but for now you need to get some rest, a nap and a decent night's sleep at least."

"Yeah, you're right," Albus said, yawning widely as if to punctuate Scorpius' point, "Ron's safe, and Rose and Hugo and Hermione are with him, and much as I hate to admit it, there's not much we can do right now."

"Oh, I can think of several things we could be doing right now," Scorpius said.

Albus raised an eyebrow, "Oh, really?"

"Not like that!" Scorpius spluttered, putting his head in his hands, "I meant, like, all the school work we still have to do, and you asked me to show you my favourite music, and – you know, stuff like that!"

"Considering how awkward we both are about all this, it's a miracle we even managed to get together at all," Albus couldn't help but tease, pulling Scorpius' hands from his face and planting a gentle kiss on his cheek.

"Well, it took us bloody long enough," Scorpius replied, but the grin on his face told Albus everything he needed to know, "but… I don't know, it's all so new to me."

"What is?" Albus asked blankly, feeling the promise of sleep begin to weigh down his eyelids and fog his thoughts.

"You know, us," Scorpius gestured vaguely about himself, "this whole relationship thing. I don't know if you remember, but apart from a few drunken and regrettable kisses, and a short-lived relationship in Third Year… I kind of don't know anything at all."

Albus took his hand, trying to reassure him, "It's alright, Scor. I don't think anyone knows what they're doing, really. I thought I did with Angela, and look how well that turned out. But we'll figure this out, because what we have, it's – it's special. Think of all the shit we had to get through just to get to where we are today, if we can make it through that, then I'm sure we can get through the inevitable awkwardness of the beginning of a relationship."

"Yeah, you're right," Scorpius flashed him a smile and managed to sit up a little straighter, "I just wish we could go back to Shell Cottage, with the beach and the freedom and none of that fear of being found out."

Albus smiled fondly, remembering the way Teddy had watched them together for a few moments on that first evening in Shell Cottage and had asked them how long they had been together. After no small amount of denial and surprise, Teddy had rolled his eyes at them and told them that they didn't need to hide here, that they would always be welcome, and that none of the rest of the family were even remotely as perceptive as he was when it came to these things.

"I know," Albus agreed, glancing anxiously at his bedroom door, which was still ajar, and wishing things weren't so complicated, that he had the utmost certainty of knowing his family would be supportive of him. He was fairly sure that they would, but there was always that small, niggling fear that things would be just that little but different once they found out what Scorpius truly was to him.

Scorpius squeezed his hand, then let it go with obvious hesitation and went over to his own bed, lying down with a thud, "Merlin's beard, I'm exhausted. I don't know how you're still even awake."

"I'm fuelled entirely by caffeine," Albus said with a yawn so wide his jaw cracked and settling down in bed, making sure he could still see Scorpius, "but I don't think even that's enough for how tired I am right now."

"All that caffeine is bad for you, you know," Scorpius mumbled.

Albus meant to reply; he could have talked to Scorpius for hours on end about everything and nothing – but the second his head hit his pillow, he had already forgotten what he was going to say. Sleep came easily at last, with the knowledge that his Uncle Ron was home safe, and that Scorpius was by his side.

* * *

Albus awoke with a jolt, unsure who – or what – had woken him. He was alone in his bedroom. Stretching, he got to his feet and crossed the room, when he heard voices outside and paused, his hand hovering above the door handle.

Stifling a yawn and wishing he could have slept for a few more hours, Albus pressed his ear to the door. He could hear two distinct voices, one of which was undoubtedly Scorpius', but the words were muffled by the wood of the door. Though he couldn't hear the words, Scorpius' tone of voice was angry, and as the volume rose he began to catch the occasional word, though nothing tangible enough to make any sense.

Just as he was considering using his wandless magic to amplify the sound, Albus' bedroom door was flung open and he leapt back, smothering his cry of surprise. Scorpius stormed inside, slamming the door shut, his face fierce and defiant. When he spotted Albus there, however, his composure shattered, and he wrapped his arms around Albus, sobbing into his shoulder.

"What's wrong?" Albus asked, gently pulling Scorpius away from him and brushing the loose strands of hair from his face as he continued to cry, the tears leaving streaks down his pale face. His mind was working frantically, wondering just what the hell was happening now. Scorpius simply shook his head, unable to get the words out.

"It's alright," Albus soothed him, pulling a tissue from his pocket and using it to wipe Scorpius' eyes, "Take all the time you need."

Scorpius nodded at that, collapsing onto his bed with a sigh. Albus waited with growing apprehension as Scorpius slowly came back to himself, scrubbing at his eyes with the tissue. He resisted the urge to pace the room, or to run and ask his parents if anything was wrong, because Scorpius needed him, and nothing else mattered.

At last he managed to compose himself enough to speak, though it came out as barely more than a whisper, "I'm leaving."

"What?" Albus frowned as Scorpius' face scrunched up with the effort of not bursting into a fresh set of tears.

"Dad just told me," He said quietly, staring down into his lap and fiddling with sleeves, as he had always done when faced with something he didn't want to confront, "We're leaving tonight."

"Tonight?" Albus could barely comprehend what he was hearing, "What's going on?"

"We're going to my grandma's old place, to sort out her estate," Scorpius breathed, the words all running together as he released them, "At first I thought it was just another of Dad's rash ideas – like that time he tried to get me to leave Hogwarts – but – but – Mum agrees. Everything's set. We're getting a long distance portkey late tonight."

"In Germany?" Was all Albus could bring himself to ask.

Scorpius nodded, "It's safe. No one but us knew she lived there. Dad says we'll be there for the rest of the summer, until school starts back up again. I know it's what needs doing, and with the baby we need all the safety and security we can get but – I'll miss you so much."

With those words, Scorpius fell apart again.

"You're really leaving tonight?" Albus asked. Scorpius nodded, his entire body shaking. Albus was by his side immediately, arms around him, soothing him with whispered words that he wasn't quite sure he himself believed.

It didn't quite feel real; ever since that rainy summer day when they had kissed under the tree, Scorpius had been a constant by his side, and now he was leaving. He tried to recall those horrendous months when the two of them hadn't been speaking, when the world felt like it had tilted from its axis, but he could only feel Scorpius' lips on his, their fingers tangled together as they sat by the bonfire at shell cottage, those warm, happy memories so bright that they pushed all of the darkness away.

"I'd better get packing," Scorpius murmured, getting to his feet and yanking his suitcase out from under the bed, his movements stiff and almost robotic. Albus watched him silently, as he folded his clothes with his usual precision and collected the books of his that had become strewn about the room over the past few weeks.

With his case packed, the room suddenly felt empty, and with it, the significance of Scorpius leaving finally hit Albus, and he found himself struggling to breathe, feeling panic rise like bile in his stomach.

"We'll get through this," He muttered, more to reassure himself, but when Scorpius leaned in and kissed him, the dam broke and Albus' tears mingled with Scorpius as they both stood there, leaning against each other for dear life, lost in the unbearable pain of that first parting.

When a knock resounded at the door, the moment shattered and Scorpius let go of him, wiping his eyes once more and regaining some semblance of his usual composure as Draco Malfoy entered, his silver eyes as cold and unreadable as Scorpius' were warm and inviting.

"Your Uncle Ron will be alright, Albus," He said with an awkward cough, misreading the situation completely. Albus didn't blame him; the wounds of the day's events were still fresh, even if news of Scorpius' parting was fresher still.

"Thank you, Mr. Malfoy, I'm sure he will," He forced a smile as Scorpius handed his suitcase to his father in the hallway, and the room became somehow even emptier.

"I suppose Scorpius has informed you of our parting," Draco said, "I apologise for the short notice – we've had it planned for a while, but circumstances have been beyond our control… Anyway, we'd better be leaving now, but we hope to see you at King's Cross come September 1st."

"Of course!" Albus said brightly even as he tried to avoid glancing in Scorpius' direction, "I'll see you then, and you, Scorpius. Don't forget to write."

"I won't," Scorpius said quietly, "Have a good summer."

"You too," Albus responded, though he knew that such a thing was unlikely without Scorpius there.

With a brief hug, Scorpius left the room with his father. Albus watched silently from the top of the stairs as the Malfoy family said their goodbyes and took hold of the unassuming tin can portkey. Scorpius turned to look up at him, and was gone.

Somehow, Albus made it through the rest of the day, as he ate dinner with his family and went to bed, trying his best to ignore Lily's pointed glances and sympathetic pats on the shoulder. When he went to bed that night he couldn't sleep, despite the exhaustion that lingered despite the caffeine and the earlier nap, and each time he turned to speak to Scorpius, to ask for reassurance, he remembered that the other boy wasn't there, and that he would have to sleep alone once more.


	53. Say Something, Say Anything

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry it's been such a long time since i last posted! i kind of wanted to wait for nanowrimo, and now it's here i can barely stop myself from writing, which is wonderful! i hope you enjoy this chapter, and i hope to see you all again very soon. please feel free to give kudos, or leave a comment! this chapter is named after the song 'say something, say anything' by blood red shoes.

Chapter 47: Say Something, Say Anything

"How long can you miss someone?"

Life without Scorpius was as difficult as Albus had expected, though it was nothing compared to the overwhelmingly loneliness he had felt earlier that year, when he had thought that Scorpius hated him, and their friendship was all but irredeemable. At least now he knew how Scorpius really felt about him, and knew that all was not lost. It didn't make things any easier, however.

He had Lily, of course, for which he was thankful. She could make even the gloomiest of days feel bright, even if her methods of cheering Albus up were sometimes rather questionable – insisting that he tried to hex James, for instance, when their older brother was trying to relax. James had quickly caught on to what Lily and Albus were doing, and he didn't seem to mind; in fact, he seemed to relish in catching Albus unawares and shooting some ridiculous jinx his way, but it was all meant in jest, and the spells they used never came close to reminding them of more perilous times.

Their parents rolled their eyes every time someone's hair suddenly changed colour at the dinner table, or Lily's shriek of indignation echoed through the house, but Albus was certain they understood their children's need to blow off steam, and so their tellings-off were always somewhat half-hearted. Albus wondered if Lily regretted beginning this competition, but when she was practically rolling on the floor with laughter having made James' t-shirt read 'I'm a massive loser', he was fairly certain she didn't mind.

Fear still lingered in the air, especially after the Pureblood Knights had managed to follow them back to Grimmauld Place, but, much to everyone's relief and confusion, they hadn't returned. The wards were as strong as they could possibly be, and there were Aurors guarding the house at all hours, so they were safe – for whatever that word was worth anymore.

Ron had healed quickly at St. Mungo's, and complained bitterly each time Albus saw him about how close he believed he had been to uncovering the enemy. Sadly, he didn't get to see much of his aunt and uncle, or of Rose, and what little novelty the summer holidays had ever had was more or less nonexistent.

A week after Scorpius had left for Germany with his family, Albus still hadn't heard from him, and all manner of possibilities had been circling endlessly through his mind – they had been captured, or Scorpius didn't actually care as much for Albus as he had believed – and Albus was well and truly at his wit's end. Draco Malfoy hadn't dared to give their address away to anybody, not even telling his own wife, and so Albus couldn't even write Scorpius a letter to let him know that things weren't too horrendous at Grimmauld Place, and that he missed him terribly and was certain that September 1st couldn't come soon enough.

"Are you moping again?" James said that afternoon, entering Albus' room without knocking as per usual. Albus was lying in bed, clutching tightly to one of the CDs that Scorpius had brought for him to listen to, despite the fact he had no way of listening to it.

"No," Albus said reluctantly, sitting up and trying to covertly hide the album under his pillow. James either didn't notice, or didn't think it was strange enough to pass comment on, which was suspicious in and of itself.

"What was I thinking?" James shook his head, "You're always moping, I don't know why I'm surprised."

"Are you here for a reason?" Albus asked, eyeing his older brother with a reasonable amount of scepticism.

"Do I have to have a reason to talk to you, little Slytherin?" James asked, winking as he used his old and much overused nickname for him. He fiddled absently with the figurines on top of Albus' chest of drawers, remnants from his childhood that he couldn't quite bring himself to throw away.

"Last time you came into my room it was to cover me in warts, so I'll admit I'm a little wary," Albus pointed out, frowning.

James smothered a laugh, "Iconic, but no, that's not why I'm here. I just want to talk to you."

"Merlin's beard." Albus muttered as James came and seated himself next to Albus on the bed. For once he did seem almost entirely serious, and that was terrifying enough in itself.

"It's just… You and Scorpius are pretty close, right?" James wondered, glancing Albus' way. Albus felt his cheeks heat up and tried to hide his face with his hair, which was just getting to the right length to do so.

"I mean, he's my best friend," Albus said apprehensively, feeling his heart stutter in his chest. If his brother had worked out what he and Scorpius truly were, then there was no chance on earth that his parents didn't know, and that thought was enough to send a nauseating wave of anxiety through his stomach, "Why?"

James shrugged, "I guess I just wanted to say that I think he's an alright guy. I realise I was a little harsh to him at Hogwarts -"

"A little?" Albus couldn't help but splutter.

"Alright, a lot – I was a douche, let's just say that." James jabbed Albus in the arm, "I don't know, I guess I just wanted to apologise for everything I did, and everything I thought. I was convinced that he was in the wrong house, and that your friendship couldn't have been legit on his part, but seeing you guys this summer… It's clear he means a lot to you, and I'm glad you have a friend like that."

"Who are you and what have you done with James Potter?" Albus asked, simply relieved that his brother hadn't managed to work things out, If he was only just beginning to accept that Albus and Scorpius were just best friends, Albus wasn't sure he was quite ready to burst the bubble that they were, in fact, dating. Not that they had ever been on many dates, but Albus was hoping that would change when they returned to Hogwarts.

"Piss off," James laughed, "I'm nineteen, you know – I can't be that reckless, idiotic Gryffindor forever."

"Could've fooled me," Albus murmured, aware that he was doing himself no favours whatsoever. James gave him another hard poke in the side.

"I guess..." James took a deep breath and turned to face Albus, "I guess I'm a little jealous. Seeing how close you guys are, and even how close you and Lily are, has made me realise that I've been a shit brother, but I've been trying to change. I sent you the map and the cloak last year, didn't I? I should get a sainthood just for that."

Albus resisted the urge to reply with his usual sarcasm, "I can see that you've been trying to change, and I appreciate that. You might be a prick, but you'll always be my older brother"

"I may actually vomit, but – you are my little brother, and as such it's my duty to protect you and all that big brotherly stuff," James squeezed him suddenly before leaping to his feet and heading out of the room, "Oh, and this is for calling me a prick."

James pulled out his wand and said a jinx that Albus didn't recognise. As he began to feel hair sprouting from his nose and ears, he shrieked, chasing James down the corridor. James grinned back at him as he descended the stairs. Screwing his eyes up in thought and trying to ignore the hair tickling his upper lip, Albus managed to make his older brother levitate, hovering a foot or so above the stairs.

"Albus! Put me down!" James whined, struggling to keep his balance.

"Get rid of all this hair!" Albus insisted, as his brother floated ever closer to the ceiling.

"No." James said, wobbling slightly as he crossed his arms.

"Then you'll stay up there."

At that moment, Harry stepped out of his office, obviously sensing the commotion, and, seeing the scene in front of him, shook his head, "Albus, put your brother down."

"He started it!" Albus complained, sticking his tongue out at James, who was giving him the finger behind Harry's back.

"I don't care who started it. James, turn your brother back to normal," Harry said with a sigh, though the glint in his eyes indicated that he wasn't really all that angry. James relented, and Albus felt the uncomfortable prickling sensation of the hair receding back into his ears and nostrils. Albus let his focus drop, and had to hide his smug grin of satisfaction as James hit the stairs with a thud and just about managed not to tumble down them.

"Right, now that everybody's getting along again, I need to see you both in the kitchen." Harry said, heading downstairs past James without another word. James and Albus exchanged worried glances and followed their father down the stairs.

What now? Albus couldn't help but wonder. He was certain it couldn't be anything too horrendous, or his father would have shouted at the two of them to stop behaving like children, and the ever present shadows under his eyes would have been starker. Still, he couldn't stop his stomach roiling with anxiety as he walked into the kitchen.

"Albus!" Suddenly he found himself enveloped in a tight hug, and he smiled at the familiar mass of frizzy hair that filled his vision. He hadn't seen Rose in what felt like months, so he hugged her back just as tightly. No doubt things had been hard for her with the disappearance and injury of her father, but she gave Albus her usual bright smile as they pulled away from each other.

"So, why are we all in here?" Albus asked, glancing at his Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione, who looked as exhausted and overworked as Albus' own parents.

"There's no easy way to say this," Hermione began, biting her lip, "but that Slytherin girl in your year, Heather, she's… Escaped from custody."

"What?" Albus demanded, looking at his father expectantly.

Harry leaned back against the counter, "She was underage, so we couldn't try her as we usually would. We were still trying to figure out what to do with her until her seventeenth birthday, and she was being kept in the Ministry. Securely, we thought, but last night there was a break-in and she's gone. The Aurors watching her were all gravely injured, and none of them could identify the attackers except to say that they were, of course, members of the Pureblood Knights."

Albus took a seat, almost unable to comprehend. He still hadn't quite adjusted to the fact that Heather, his friend for almost six years, had been working against them and everything they stood for. How much had she found out, how much had she passed on to the Pureblood Knights? The implications were almost startling, and now she was out there once more, free to work for them as she wished.

His mother put a hand gently on his shoulder, "We just want you, and Rose if possible, to tell us anything you can about her, anything you think might be useful."

"I really don't know," Albus said, feeling inexplicably guilty, "I had no idea. I mean, I feel like I should have known… At the Triwizard Tournament, when the galleon fell out of her pocket, I'd assumed it was just planted, but it must have been her all again. I can't believe I didn't see it sooner, it all seems so obvious now."

"It's okay, Al," Ginny said, her tone of voice soothing. He nodded, unable to say anything more, but feeling a little of the guilt dissipate at his mother's words.

"I mean, she hung out with us, but she was always pretty quiet," Rose said with a shrug, "Rae was her best friend, she'd be the person to ask. I know she feels awful about it all, but she'd probably be able to tell you more. She'll probably be in Pennsylvania with her family, though..."

"Thank you, Rose," Harry smiled, "I'll have the Aurors look into it. Anything we can find out now might prove useful later on."

"Hey, what are you all doing down here?" Lily said, sauntering into the kitchen and yawning widely. If the pillow marks on her cheek were anything to go by, she had just been fast asleep, though she was as unerringly cheerful as always.

"I'm just having to interview my own son and niece," Harry said with an exaggerated sigh, ruffling Lily's hair, "Oh, and Albus made James levitate, so you'd better step up your game."

"It is on," Lily said fiercely, winking at Albus as Rose wrapped her up in a hug.

"Anyway, we have adult things to talk about, so you guys had better scram," Ron said with a decent attempt at an air of authority. Rose was about to protest, but, catching her mother's expression, she huffed and headed out of the room with Albus and Lily on her heels.

"See you later, little ones!" James said condescendingly, so Albus stepped on his foot on his way out. James winced, but obviously agreed that he deserved it as he kept quiet.

Once in the living room and sprawled out on the sofa, Lily and Rose rounded on him.

"Has Scorpius got in touch yet?" Rose asked, far too eagerly for someone who claimed to hate all forms of romantic love.

"If Albus' moping is anything to go by, the answer is no." Lily flopped on the couch next to him, shoving her brother's legs out of the way with the ease that came from years of Quidditch training

"I don't mope," Albus protested, if a little half-heartedly.

"Mmm-hmm," Lily said, looking thoroughly unconvinced, "sure you don't. All those hours you spend alone in your bedroom, you're actually… Wait, never mind, I really don't want to know."

She pulled a face as Albus helpfully smacked her in the face with a cushion. If he thought about it, Lily was right; he had been moping, but only because without Scorpius here he wasn't really sure what to do with himself. Usually, if he was bored, or frustrated, or sad, or anything at all, Scorpius was the one he turned to, and while he had Lily, and to some extent James, it wasn't the same. He couldn't talk to them about anything and everything and nothing and expect them to listen intently, or even to understand, but he didn't expect them to. That was what he had Scorpius for, after all.

"Well, I haven't seen Grace in weeks, and you don't see me being miserable about it," Lily said matter-of-factly, once she had tempered her disgust.

"You're never miserable," Albus pointed out, "about anything."

"Exactly!" She said with a bright smile, "For me, the glass is just… Always half full. I mean, yeah, shit things are happening, but I have my wonderful brother and my favourite cousin here with me, and that just makes me think that everything's going to be alright, you know? If I can feel happiness like this even in the darkest times, then just think how good the brightest times are going to be."

"I'm your favourite cousin?" Rose asked, raising an eyebrow.

"That's all you got out of that?" Lily laughed, and it tinkled like bells, "But yes. Don't tell Hugo."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Rose replied, grinning, "I see where you're coming from, though. Albus, I think you need to stop focusing on the fact that Scorpius isn't here right now, and think about the fact that you're going to see him again soon. September's only a few weeks away, after all."

"Maybe I like being miserable," Albus said, though he did think Rose had a point, "maybe being happy is Lily's thing, and being sad is mine."

"Albus," Lily said seriously, putting her hand on Albus' shoulder, "I love you, but as your sister, I feel like I should tell you that that is the saddest thing I have ever heard, and that you are a massive loser."

"I thought you and Rose were supposed to be the ones supporting me," Albus protested.

"Oh, definitely," Rose agreed, "but that means letting you know when you're being a gigantic saddo."

"Thanks," Albus grumbled, crossing his arms, "I can't even miss my own boyfriend in peace anymore."

"That's the spirit," Lily said, ruffling his hair affectionately, as if she were the elder sister. Albus was tempted to retaliate, and hex her into oblivion, but she probably had a point, not that he would ever let her know that. If he stopped letting the fact that Scorpius wasn't here bring him down so much, perhaps September would come around much more quickly. Perhaps if he threw himself into the remainder of his summer homework, and thought amazing it would be to see Scorpius again whenever he felt himself getting down, then he would be able to convince himself that it was all going to be alright. If he just ignored the massive, looming threat of the Pureblood Knights… But no, even he wasn't capable of performing miracles.

"I suppose I'd better stop moping and finish my homework off," Albus said thoughtfully, getting to his feet.

Rose practically shrieked, grabbing him by the arm in an almost painful grip, "You haven't finished it yet? Albus, for Merlin's sake, you've had all summer! I'm not leaving until we've finished it all, even if that means I have to stay overnight. I'm sure Mum won't complain when I tell her the reason why, in fact I think she'd insist I do the same,"

Lily smiled innocently at him as Rose dragged him from the room, and it was all he could do to turn her hair a hideous, almost fluorescent shade of pink as she vanished from sight. She whined in annoyance, but didn't bother getting off the sofa to come and retaliate. In the kitchen, the serious discussion between the adults seemed to be over, and they looked almost relaxed as they chatted and sipped cups of coffee.

"Aunt Ginny, I'm going up to help Albus finish his summer homework," She said, jabbing him in the back as he began to protest.

Ginny looked astounded, "That's weird, because he told me he'd finished it all."

"This bloody family," He muttered as Rose continued to pull him up the stairs, ignoring the way the adults snickered in the kitchen. He could hear James' distinct laughter, the loudest of them all, and decided then and there that his older brother would be the next victim of their great pranking competition, perhaps early in the morning, when he would almost certainly be sleeping. Or perhaps it was time to get Rose involved…

That thought helped him keep his calm as Rose watched him pull all of his books out from their various shelves. He knew that his cousin had finished weeks ago, and couldn't quite believe it. The professors had almost certainly intended for their future NEWT students to keep busy all summer.

As he and Rose got stuck in on some particularly tricky Arithmancy equations, he couldn't help but feel relieved that she was making him do this, even if he did still resent her just a little. It kept his mind from other, more unpleasant things, such as the terror lurking just outside their door, and the fact that he would be sleeping alone tonight, without Scorpius' soft breathing by his side, or the warm weight of his body next to his.

He had his family by his side, and for the time being, until he saw Scorpius again, that was all he needed. Whether pranks between his siblings, seeing his parents smile for the first time in what felt like far too long, or doing homework with Rose, he knew they would always be there for him, and he would do whatever he could to keep them safe.


	54. White Blank Page

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know i only just posted the last chapter, but this is an interlude, and as such is only quite short. i've been writing a lot, thanks to nanowrimo, and i love it! this chapter is named after the song 'white blank page' by mumford and sons, and i really hope you enjoy hearing about things from scorpius' perspective.

Interlude 7 – White Blank Page

“So tell me now, where was my fault, in loving you with my whole heart?”

Scorpius sighed with frustration, crumpling up the mostly blank sheet of paper on his desk and throwing it haphazardly towards the bin. It missed, but he didn’t notice. He was thinking about Albus, again, and all of the things they could have been getting up to, were they not miles and countries apart. He resisted the urge to think about the Pureblood Knights, the robed and masked figures that haunted him now whether he was waking or sleeping.

He had been in Germany for a week now, in his grandma’s house, and he hated it. Everything reminded him of her, from the bedroom he had slept in during many long and fantastic summers, to the very smell of the house. It was only small, with three bedrooms, a little but immaculately landscaped garden, and breathtaking views over the surrounding valleys. He loved his second home, but it would forever remind him of the fact that he would never see his grandmother again.

He fondly remembered her wrinkles when she smiled, and the pride on her face when Scorpius had told her all about his Hogwarts acceptance letter, and the way she had been thrilled to finally tell him all about the school and its many mysteries. He had asked her a never-ending stream of questions about magic and the Wizarding World that summer, but she had never grown tired of it, answering each patiently and in great detail. He had never known his grandfather, but from the way his father’s eyes grew tight at the mention of him, that was perhaps for the best.

Absently, he stroked the wood of the desk in front of him, where he had spent much of the past few summers completing his homework. He had finished it all within a few days of arriving this year, as his mother had been occupied with the baby, his father with sorting out his mother’s will and estate. It had been a good excuse to ignore all thoughts of Albus and the Pureblood Knights, but now he had no excuse.

It was absurd, really; he knew the Pureblood Knights weren’t at all likely to find him here, and yet he was still afraid. It didn’t matter to that irrational part of his mind that they were practically in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of the Black Forest with only the occasional village or sleepy hamlet nearby. They were safe, and most of all secluded, and Albus had never felt further away, even during those months when Scorpius had fucked everything up spectacularly and they hadn’t been speaking.

So here he was, trying to write a letter to the boy who meant the entire world to him, and he couldn’t think of a single word that would accurately sum it all up. Frowning, he picked his pen back up, and began to write, careful this time to make it perfect, but also not to make it too over-friendly in case someone other than Albus happened to read it.

“Dear Albus,

I realise I’ve been here in Germany for over a week now, and I haven’t sent you a letter yet. You’re probably wondering why, and believe me, I’ve been meaning to, but things have been rather busy here, as I’m sure you’ll understand. My parents are exhausted, between looking after baby Cassie, who seems to cry right through the night at the moment, and trying to sort out my grandma’s estate, but things seem to have settled down now at last.

It’s been hard, I’ll admit that. I didn’t realise that I had become quite so reliant on you for advice and support, but I really have. I hope that makes you smile, the thought of you reading that is making me smile, too. I hope you’re not missing me too badly, and try not to be too mopey! Obviously, being a thousand miles away from everything and everybody we haven’t had any news about the Pureblood Knights, and I worry constantly. I hope you’re all still safe, and that your Uncle Ron is alright. Send Rose my best wishes, too. Dad says I shouldn’t send too many letters in case someone manages to track down our owl or something. I don’t know how likely that is, but you’re worth the risk.

There are so many things I want to say, but now I’m here putting pen to paper my mind is infuriatingly blank. You’d probably have something to say about that – something deep and pretentious and philosophical, I’m sure. You’d probably laugh at me as well, because I know what you’re like. At least, after however many years of friendship between us, I hope I know you well enough.

The first of September can’t come soon enough, only two weeks left now (!). I hope you can sense the sarcasm in that exclamation point, it’s rather hard to get across in writing, after all. Seventh Year, can you believe it? We’ll be eighteen – actual, proper adults. I can scarcely imagine. Just thinking of all the homework we’re going to get makes me shudder, and it’ll be even worse than last year, since we have those all-important exams and all. I trust you’ll be able to keep me sane, and I’ll try my best to keep you well caffeinated at the very least.

Anyway, I’m rambling. It’s hard to resist the urge to tell you everything that’s on my mind, like I would if we were face to face – which we will be, before you know it (!!!). Just know that I miss you, and I hope you’re doing alright. I’m doing okay, though being in my grandma’s house without her here is quite difficult.

With kind thoughts and best wishes from your very best friend,

Scorpius”

He placed the pen back on the desk, checking to make sure there weren’t too many obvious smudges on the paper. Perhaps the letter wasn’t absolutely perfect, but he hoped that it would make Albus smile, and that the other boy would be reminded of him. Many things were left unsaid, but that couldn’t be helped, no matter how much he might wish things were to the contrary.

He had been thinking a lot lately, about coming out to his mum and dad, but the very thought sent a sharp thrill of fear through him, even though he didn’t doubt that they would love and accept him no matter what. There had always been that lingering fear, as there had been when he had told Rose back in Fifth Year, that they would reject him, that they wouldn’t accept him, that they would insist that it was just a phase and that he would grow out of it. He knew they wouldn’t say those things, and yet…

Resisting the urge to sigh once more, he folded the letter up neatly and slid it carefully inside the envelope. He wrote Albus’ name neatly across the front once he had sealed it, adding a little smiling face that he knew Albus would appreciate and know immediately that the letter was from him. He didn’t bother with an address, as his owl had been to Grimmauld Place many times.

He opened his owl’s large, ornate cage, grinning as the little creature inside pecked him affectionately. He tied the letter to her leg, promising her lots of tasty treats would be waiting for her once she delivered the letter to London, as Albus was rather fond of her too. Her name was Persephone, because Scorpius had been interested in Greek mythology when his parents had purchased her, and she had wondrously soft brown feathers.

Smiling sadly, he opened his window and set her free, watching until she was just a speck on the horizon. He continued to stare out of the window, at the beautiful and familiar landscape, thinking about how far away he was from home, and how unfair it was that everything had to change. But, as he had mentioned in the letter, he would be seeing Albus again before he knew it, and that thought kept him going for the rest of the day, as he cuddled with his baby sister and helped his mother with the cooking.

No matter what, Albus would always be there for him, and there was truly no better feeling in the world than that.


	55. Everlasting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> today's chapter is named after the song 'everlasting' by summer camp. enjoy, and feel free to let me know what you think!

**Chapter 48: Everlasting**

"Yesterday was hopeless; let's leave it all behind us"

Albus paced around his room nervously, trying to still his frayed nerves. A loose floorboard creaked, and he winced; it was a little after midnight, after all, and the house around him was silent. In his hand he clutched the letter that had just arrived, careful not to crease the thick, expensive paper. Scorpius' owl, Persephone, sat preening herself next to Owlie, who looked distinctly disgruntled at the present situation.

He hadn't been expecting another letter; it had been two weeks since the last one, and he had already read that one so much that he was sure the paper was already becoming worn. He kept it in his pillowcase, certain that nobody would think to look there. The words were comforting, and familiar, and when he read them he could imagine Scorpius was there in the room with him, scribbling furiously on the paper.

It was August 31st, the last day of summer. Usually he spent the day anxiously awaiting September, more or less wasting it. He would pack all of his stuff into the oversized trunk, triple check that he had all of the necessary supplies, and generally drive his family up the wall as he hurried around the house making sure everything was in order, unable to sit still.

But not this year.

He had expected it to be the same, but the letter he had just received had changed everything. Taking a deep breath, he sat down on his bed, and read through the letter once more:

"Dear Albus,

Good news! Dad thought it would be best if we spent a few days back in London before September 1st, to make sure I've got everything sorted and we won't be rushing about on the morning. We're staying in this little Muggle hotel. It's nothing fancy, but something about staying in a hotel always feels more exciting than it actually is.

Anyway, I'm rambling. I tend to do that, as you've probably noticed. I blame you entirely. The point is – I really want to see you! I know I'll be seeing you on the Hogwarts Express, but how wonderful would it be to see each other, just the two of us with none of our friends nosying in on our conversations, and spend the day together? I don't know what's been happening with the Pureblood Knights, so you might think this is a terrible idea. However, if you do want to see me, which I really hope you do… Meet me by that ice cream place we went to last time. I think quite early in the day might be best, since we'll both probably have to sneak out. I'll buy you a nice big coffee, I promise. Say, 7am?

If you're not there, I'll know that it's not worth the risk, and I understand. Truly, I do. But it would be lovely to see you. I'm sure we have a lot of catching up to do. I love you and miss you.

With all the best wishes in the world,

Scorpius"

Albus grinned, feeling his heart speed up as he read over the words 'I love you' once more. A part of him knew that seeing Scorpius probably wasn't worth the risk, or so his parents would probably tell him, but Scorpius would always be worth the risk, for him. They would be in the middle of one of the biggest, most crowded cities in the world. Perhaps there was a risk, but it could only be miniscule.

That was it, then. He would be seeing Scorpius, and in just a few hours!

Yawning, he realised that he should at least try and get some sleep. Trying to ignore the scrabbling sounds of the owls in the corner of the room, he settled into bed, knowing that sleep would be hard to come by. His thoughts went around in circles, and when at last he did dream, it was of running through endless dimly lit London streets, Scorpius' hand in his, with dark, masked figures at his heel. Eventually, Scorpius stumbled, releasing Albus' grip on his hand, and he fell, to be lost in the shadows of surrounded figures.

Albus awoke with a jolt, his heart pounding out a fierce rhythm in his chest. Warm, buttery light was filtering through his curtains, and he relaxed. It had only been a dream. He was safe – and, more importantly, Scorpius was safe.

Thinking of Scorpius reminded him of his plans for the day, and he glanced at his clock. In his semi-conscious state, it took him a few seconds to read the hands, but when he did, he scrambled out of bed, frantically searching for his clothes in amongst the heaps of stuff he had been planning to take back to Hogwarts. He had only fifteen minutes!

Albus got dressed as quickly as he could, glancing quickly in his mirror to make sure none of his clothes were on inside out. He considered running his hands through his hair in an attempt to tame it, but knew that it was futile. Besides, Scorpius wouldn't care too much about what he looked like, although he still wanted to look vaguely presentable.

On tiptoes, he snuck out of his room, letting out a breath of his relief that no one else seemed to be up yet. Even his father's office was empty, the curtains drawn. As he made his way downstairs and through the kitchen, he considered leaving a note, but there simply wasn't time. He didn't dare to be even a minute late. He would be back home soon enough, right?

He smiled at the warmth of the late summer sun on his face as he stepped outside into the back garden, closing the door behind him as gently as was possible. The past two weeks hadn't been entirely taken up with moping; he had finally taken his Apparition test, and had passed with full marks. The wards in the garden meant that he could apparate out, but not back in. He wasn't sure how he would get back in, but shrugged to himself. That was a problem for later.

Albus didn't even need to think of the three Ds of Apparition as he spun on the spot; it came almost naturally to him now. Seconds later, he arrived in a secluded alleyway a few moments away from the ice cream parlour, shaking off the nausea.

He checked the watch on his wrist that he had received last year from his parents, a typical coming-of-age birthday present. Still five minutes. Breathing deeply to try and calm his nerves, he strolled nonchalantly from the dingy alleyway and into the surprisingly busy London street. He could already feel the fatigue weighing heavily on him from a lack of sleep, but he fought it back, determined to be alert and present.

When he spotted that familiar head of pale blonde hair in the distance, he had to fight back the smile from his face, but he simply couldn't keep it contained. Scorpius hadn't noticed him yet, and was looking the other way. As he got closer, Albus could see him fiddling with his sleeves, and was relieved that he wasn't the only nervous one. It was ridiculous, really; Scorpius was his best friend, his boyfriend, and yet there was just something about seeing him for the first time in a few weeks that he just couldn't explain, that made butterflies flutter uncomfortable in his stomach and caused his palms to go clammy.

Scorpius looked as immaculate as Albus remembered, his hair neatly gelled back as always, his clothes perfectly tailored. Albus was all too aware of his scruffy hair and oversized t-shirt, and self-consciously pushed his hair away from his face. He could feel himself panicking, honestly debating with himself whether he should just turn around and head back home. Scorpius would never know, and would just assume that it hadn't been safe.

However, at that moment, Scorpius glanced his way, and spotted Albus there, lurking just a few feet away as irate pedestrians shoved their way past him. When he smiled, it practically lit up the entire street, and Albus knew he had had nothing to worry about. It was Scorpius, and seeing him again felt like coming home.

"Albus!" He rushed forward and enveloped Albus in a hug that was at once achingly familiar, but also a sure sign of how things had changed between them in the past months. Scorpius' hand lingered on his waist for a few seconds as Albus stared into his eyes, aware that he was blushing like a fool, but then he noticed that Scorpius' cheeks were slightly pink, and he relaxed a little.

"Hi," He breathed, unable to say much more than that.

"Come on, I know the perfect place for breakfast," Scorpius enthused, unnervingly sprightly for so early in the morning. He took Albus' hand and lead him along, threading expertly through the dozy but persistent pedestrians on their morning commute. Albus yawned, and Scorpius glanced back, looking sympathetic. He knew all too well what Albus was like first thing in the morning.

Once Scorpius had directed the pair of them to a lovely little café that wasn't already crowded with people clamouring for caffeine, he found a couple of vacant armchairs in the window and Albus sat down, repressing a sigh. As Scorpius went to get food and coffee, ignoring Albus' protests that he pay, Albus settled in, watching the world go by outside. He found each individual fascinating, wondering just how and why they had come to be here on this particular day, at this particular time. Then he shook his head; he had barely left Grimmauld Place in weeks, and it had been beginning to get to him.

"It's a little early in the morning to be getting philosophical, isn't it?" Scorpius commented as he sat down opposite Albus, placing a giant, steaming mug of coffee in front of him. Even when they hadn't seen each other in weeks, Scorpius could still read him in an instant.

"For me, definitely," Albus grumbled, taking a long sip of coffee, not even minding when it burned his tongue.

"Honestly, I was surprised you made it at all," Scorpius mused, grinning, "I didn't expect you to actually be awake on time."

"First of all, rude," Albus said, "but to be honest, I did wake up at quarter to seven, hence why I look like such a scruffy mess."

"I assumed that was intentional, since you always look like that," Scorpius raised an eyebrow, feigning innocence as Albus glared at him, "Sorry, I realise you're probably not caffeinated enough yet to appreciate my sense of humour."

"I don't think all the caffeine in the world could make me appreciate your sense of humour," Albus retaliated as he downed the rest of his coffee and set the mug back on the table with perhaps a little too much force.

"You're not very nice, do you know that?" Scorpius said, his tone of voice practically dripping with sarcasm.

Albus shrugged, "I do try. I  _am_  in Slytherin, after all."

"I really missed you, you know?" Scorpius said quietly.

"You too," Albus agreed, "of course. And you were right, in your letter. I was moping."

"Let me guess," Scorpius said thoughtfully, "Rose and Lily tried to drag you out of it?"

"Can you actually read my mind?" Albus asked disbelievingly.

"No, but I know what those two are like. Insufferable." He laughed, and it was the most wonderful thing that Albus had ever heard.

"Rose, being Rose, made me finish all my schoolwork to distract me," He said. Scorpius nodded, "whereas Lily started a jinx war between me, her, and James."

"I wouldn't expect anything less from her," Scorpius grinned and took a delicate bite from his sandwich. Albus' own stomach rumbled, and he tucked eagerly into the croissant that Scorpius had bought him. Merlin, that boy really  _did_  know him too well.

"Oh, and you'll never believe this," Albus said between mouthfuls, "James actually apologised to me, and told me he thinks that you're a decent guy. I honestly thought I'd lost it completely, but he was totally serious, says he's been a bad brother and he wants to make amends. Really, though, I think you're the one he should be apologising to,"

"I'm sure he'll get the chance, one day," Scorpius pondered, "after all, it looks like you're stuck with me for the foreseeable future."

"I wouldn't want it any other way," Albus said, and he meant it. For the past few weeks, he had felt lost, but here, with Scorpius, he could relax, be himself. Defeating the Pureblood Knights didn't seem like such an outlandish idea, because with Scorpius by his side, he could do anything.

"I'm so glad we worked things out," Scorpius said, reaching across the table and placing his hand on top of Albus'. The weight of it was a familiar comfort, and he almost didn't want that moment to end.

"Me too," Albus agreed, shaking his head and laughing at his own prior obliviousness, "and if I'm honest, all of this is still a bit new, and terrifying. We barely got any time together at all before you had to leave, but… When I'm with you, I see a future, you know? Like, if I'm with you, then it's all going to be okay."

"That's exactly how I feel about you!" Scorpius blushed again, and it was beautiful. How had Albus spent so many years by Scorpius' side and never noticed that? Sometimes he really wished he could smack his younger self around the head; perhaps then, that startling moment of clarity and realisation might have come at an earlier time.

"I think..." Albus paused, considering, "I think Seventh Year might be the best year at Hogwarts yet."

"Well, it can hardly be much worse, can it?" Scorpius joked, "No, you're right. And I'll even let you in on a little secret… I'm Head Boy!"

"That's amazing!" Albus congratulated him, practically jumping out of his chair to wrap him up in a hug. He smelled incredible, as he always did, like sandalwood and the ocean, and as he breathed in he didn't even care that they were in the middle of a busy café, in the middle of a busy street, in the middle of a busy city. The rest of the world just melted away, and all there was was Scorpius.

"Thanks!" Scorpius' spluttered through a mouthful of Albus' hair. Albus pulled away, embarrassed, but Scorpius didn't seem to mind. Fondly, he tucked several strands of hair behind Albus' ear, "Much better."

They stayed in the coffee shop for a little while longer, as Albus drained several more cups of coffee and finally felt the familiar buzz of caffeine begin to drown out the fatigue. Scorpius pulled out a book, one of his beloved old Muggle paperbacks, and read in silence. Albus watched him in between staring, wide-eyed, at all of the passers-by. He loved the way Scorpius absently drummed the cover of the book with his fingertips, and the way he'd frown slightly, every so often, the way that nothing seemed to exist but him and the book.

Halfway through the morning, by which time Albus was sure they were beginning to irritate the staff, Scorpius suddenly shoved the book back into his bag, and declared that it was time to move onto something exciting. Albus thought that simply watching Scorpius reading was wonderful enough, but he couldn't wait to see what else the other boy had in store for the day.

"So?" He asked, as the pair of them weaved through the midmorning crowds of tourists, "What's the plan?"

Scorpius glanced at him conspiratorially, tapping a finger to the side of his nose, "You'll see."

"Scor! Come on." He whined.

"I thought you liked surprises," Scorpius said with a wink. Albus couldn't exactly disagree, so he just kept walking alongside him down an unfamiliar street. One thing that always seemed to surprise him about London was the sheer amount of green spaces, and he smiled as Scorpius threaded his arm through his and lead him through one of the many squares.

He had absolutely no idea where they were, and usually that would have freaked him out, but he found that he didn't mind. It was a fantastically sunny day, and he and Scorpius strolled casually, arm in arm, through the streets and parks, stopping occasionally just to soak in the atmosphere, or pet a dog that had come up to sniff them, which seemed to happen a lot.

"I wish it could be like this all the time," Albus said with a sigh. They had paused in the shade under a tree, sitting down on the soft, thankfully dry grass. The wide, open space of the park around them was practically teeming with life. Albus rested his head on Scorpius' shoulder, "this could have been our entire summer, if it weren't for..."

"Yeah," Scorpius agreed, "but we're here now, and I don't doubt that we're going to make the most of it, now and forever."

"Now and forever," Albus murmured, liking the sound of those words in his mouth. He could imagine that forever, a life spent content and at peace. There were still a lot of things he felt unsure about, and he could safely say that they far outweighed the certainties in his life, but Scorpius made all of those big, scary things seem unimportant.

They sat in the shade for a little while, in comfortable, contemplative silence. The air was warm and sticky, and Albus was reluctant to get back up and go into the full heat of the midday sun.

"What's the surprise, then?" Albus asked, nudging Scorpius slightly with his shoulder.

"Um..." Scorpius blushed, sounding flustered, "There isn't actually one. I was hoping just to see where the day took us, and maybe something adequately surprising might happen. I mean, we are in London, after all."

Albus couldn't help but laugh, "You mean you had me in suspense for nothing?"

"Yeah… Sorry."

"You don't need to apologise," Albus reassured him, "I'm here with you, and we're not on the Hogwarts Express, which is surprising enough in and of itself."

"You're right," Scorpius nodded, "now come on, adventure won't find us if we just sit here all day."

"But it's too hot," Albus protested as Scorpius got to his feet, pulling Albus up with him. They stepped out from under the tree hand in hand, and for once Albus didn't feel embarrassed, he didn't have the urge to pull his hand away and hide. No one was paying them the slightest bit of attention, each person lost in their own little world. Children splashed in the fountain, screaming and giggling as their parents watched on, eagle-eyed. Other couples strolled along, young and old, and the world truly felt alive with hope and love.

"This is what it's like, isn't it?" Albus asked, "To not be afraid?"

"There's no feeling like it," Scorpius said, spreading his arms out wide and grinning up at the sun, "we could do anything!"

"We could," Albus laughed, grasping onto Scorpius' arm, "but we should probably try not to stick out too much. I mean, I doubt anybody with ill intentions towards us would be hanging out in the most Muggle parts of London, but I'd rather not risk it, thank you very much."

"Fine," Scorpius said, "let's just wander, and see where the mood takes us."

They wandered for quite a while, grabbing lunch and eating it while strolling along the South Bank, marvelling at all of the street performers and outlandish architecture. Albus was certain he had never seen so many people in all his life, and he kept stopping to stare around him in awe, wide mouthed, getting in the way of tourists who had already gotten in his way plenty of times. He stared in wonder at Big Ben, and the Houses of Parliament, and the London Eye, even though he had already seen it all before.

Heading back across the bridge, Albus couldn't help but stop and stare at the view of London spread out before him. He wished he had thought to take a camera with him so he could capture the beauty of the moment forever, but his looked nothing like the peculiar Muggle device and would probably direct a few eyes his way.

He turned to ask Scorpius if he had a camera on him, but the other boy was nowhere to be seen. When Albus searched the crowd ahead of him and couldn't see that distinctive head of pale blonde hair anywhere, he could feel the panic beginning to rise in his chest. He looked the other way, but still there was no sign of him, and he could feel his breathing pick up as he considered the implications of being lost and alone in Muggle London, unable to use his wand, which he hadn't even brought with him.

Sure, he had his wandless magic, but in his current state of anxiety, he wasn't sure it was of any use to him. Fighting back tears and aware that he was probably being ridiculous, he headed in the direction he and Scorpius had been intending to go, determinedly scanning the heads of those ahead of them, wishing he wasn't so short.

When he reached the other side of the river, he glanced about, sure that Scorpius would have waited for him, but that wasn't the case. He checked both sides of the bridge apprehensively, dodging cars as he hurried across the road and ignoring the drivers who honked their horns in anger.

Albus fervently wished that he had let Lily talk him into buying a mobile phone, having heard her rave about it all summer, even though it was fruitless. He would just have to accept that he was lost, in the biggest city in the whole of the United Kingdom, and there was nothing he could do but try and pull himself together and look for a sign pointing to somewhere familiar.

Why hadn't he and Scorpius agreed on what to do if they became separated? He didn't even have any Muggle money left, having spent all of it on lunch and the street performers. He couldn't even head to Diagon Alley, to wonderful familiarity, because he couldn't remember where to find the Leaky Cauldron from his current position. Never mind that he was an obvious target, and stuck out like a sore thumb with his dark hair and bright green eyes. He practically screamed 'I'm Harry Potter's son, come and get me!'

He managed to find a map, and after a couple of minutes of staring uncomprehendingly at it, he recognised a place name, and headed in what he hoped was roughly that direction. With any luck, it would eventually lead him to the ice cream parlour where he had met Scorpius that morning, and there was a chance that Scorpius would have headed that way too. Of course, there was also a high chance that he wouldn't be there, but Albus resolved not to think too much about that.

By the time Albus reached the ice cream parlour, he was hot, sweaty, and extremely grumpy, and the entire afternoon seemed to have passed him by as he winded through endless streets and alleyways that soon lost their charm. His feet were sore, and he was fairly certain he had a few blisters. When he arrived outside the little parlour, and Scorpius was still nowhere to be seen, that was truly the last straw. He swore loudly, startling several passers-by who gave him scathing looks.

Well, that was it, then, Albus thought as he leant against the wall. He didn't even bother to try and suppress the tears this time, letting them spill freely down his cheeks, wiping them away awkwardly with the sleeve of his t-shirt. Sighing, he realised that it was probably best just to cut his losses and Apparate home. Chances were that no one had even noticed he had been gone.

"Tissue?" A familiar voice asked. Albus blinked through the tears to see Scorpius Malfoy himself stood there breathing heavily, his entire face bright red. Sweat glistened on his forehead, and he looked as worn out as Albus felt. In his outstretched hand was a monogrammed handkerchief.

"You asshole!" Albus couldn't help but blurt out. He snatched the handkerchief from Scorpius and blew his nose on it loudly.

"I'm sorry," Scorpius cringed, looking truly apologetic, "I got swept up in a sea of tourists, and when I went back onto the bridge I couldn't find you anywhere."

"No, I'm sorry," Albus replied, feeling bad that Scorpius had been in the same boat as him, and wondering just how they hadn't bumped into each other along the way, "I'm just glad we both thought to come here."

Scorpius nodded, looking visibly relieved as he joined Albus at the wall, rubbing at his calves and blowing the hair away from his forehead. Albus couldn't help but lean into him, despite the overwhelming heat, and he knew then that it would be alright and that all was forgiven between them. It had just been a hiccup in an otherwise perfect day.

"When I saw you standing there, I practically sprinted," Scorpius said, grinning and rolling his eyes. His breathing was even now, but his forehead and nose were still bright red, though perhaps that was just sunburn.

"Good thing, too, because I was just about to head home." Albus couldn't hide the relief from his voice.

"I'm just amazed that you managed to get here before me," Scorpius nudged him.

"I hate you," Albus responded, even as he stood up on his tiptoes and kissed Scorpius on the cheek. The other boy flushed, and this time it definitely wasn't sunburn.

"Oh, the feeling's mutual," Scorpius said warmly, back to his usual, bright-eyed self and taking Albus' hand, "now come on, the day isn't over yet. And no, I'm not going to let go of your hand this time."

"Wouldn't want it any other way," Albus agreed, squeezing Scorpius' hand, "can we not go too far, though? 'Cause my feet are killing me."

"I promise," Scorpius said, a little too unconvincingly for Albus' liking, but Albus stayed by his side regardless, willing to ignore the pain for the time being as the pair of them headed down the street, perhaps a little more stiffly than they had earlier after all of the walking.

With Scorpius by his side, time seemed to lose all meaning for Albus. He even managed to forget about how tired and sore he felt all over, and that his family would definitely have noticed his absence. It all just seemed so inconsequential, as he and Scorpius talked about their usual mix of everything and nothing, and filled themselves up with food that Albus had never tried before.

Eventually, the sun began to set, turning the sky a beautiful shade of pink, however the ensuing darkness reminded Albus of all the things that were much better left forgotten, such as the Pureblood Knights and all of the fear and responsibility that came with trying to defeat them.

"I should probably head home," Albus said regretfully as they sat in one of the many little parks, watching the burnt orange sky as it faded to violet. He shivered in his thin t-shirt, and Scorpius wrapped his arm around him.

"I'll come with you, in case… In case your dad is angry, or something." Scorpius winced at the thought, and Albus froze. He hadn't even thought about how his family must feel, so swept up in the joy and adrenaline of the day.

"Merlin's beard..." He muttered, "I didn't even leave a note or anything, I'm such an idiot!"

"We'd better head there sooner rather than later," Scorpius said, and Albus nodded, following him to a little secluded side street where they could Apparate safely back to Grimmauld Place; not into the house itself, but if they appeared on the doorstep, they should be able to sneak in quietly enough.

Since Albus needed the practice, Scorpius Apparated side-along with him, and the familiar surroundings of his childhood home appeared in a dizzying maelstrom. No matter how many times he Apparated, it always took him a little while to shake off the nausea. The street around them was blissfully clear of people, but Scorpius still dropped Albus' hand as if burnt.

The front door was unlocked, which should have been the first clue that something was up. When he and Scorpius stepped through the door to find Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy standing there, both with arms crossed and looking thoroughly unimpressed, Albus knew that he and Scorpius were well and truly screwed.

"Where have you been?" Harry said quietly, and somehow that was more terrifying than if he had been shouting. The door behind Albus closed with a soft click, but all he could see were the blazing emerald eyes fixed on his, taking up all his focus.

"It's my fault, Mr. Potter," Scorpius said, taking a step forward. It was a ridiculous, Gryffindor show of bravery, and Albus loved him for it, even though he knew it wouldn't work on his father.

"I'm talking to Albus," He said sternly, having exchanged a brief glance with Draco, "Albus, do you know how worried we were? It's just lucky Lily found Scorpius' letter on your floor, or we'd've sent a search party out. Do you know how vulnerable we might have been, with our resources spread out like that?"

"I'm sorry, Dad." Albus mumbled, tearing his eyes away and staring down at the floor, "I just… I hadn't seen Scorpius in so long."

Harry sighed, "You couldn't have waited just one more day?"

"I'm sorry," He repeated, "it's just, I've been cooped up in here… I just had to get out for the day."

"Albus, you know how dangerous it is out there." His father said simply, Beside him, Draco nodded in agreement. When Albus dared to look Scorpius' way, he could see that his best friend was almost in tears, and it broke his heart.

"We were safe, Dad, I promise," He insisted, "we stayed in the really touristy, Muggle parts."

"Your mother is worried sick," Draco spoke up at last, focusing on his own son, "I was almost out of my mind with worry myself. It was only when I came here that I discovered what had gone down, but anything could have happened to you boys."

"Sorry," Scorpius said, his voice cracking.

"Let's go back to the hotel," Draco said, "I think you have some explaining to do."

"Yes, Dad," Scorpius said, as his father took his shoulder and the pair of them Apparated away. Albus was left alone with just his own father. The rest of the house was silent, but Albus was sure he could sense Lily upstairs, eavesdropping.

"Obviously, I can't ground you," Harry said irately, "but I will be speaking to Shacklebolt about this. You're to be on a strict curfew, and your Hogsmeade privileges will be revoked."

Albus stayed silent, knowing that if he spoke he would just begin to whine about the unfairness of it all, so he just nodded. He felt like an idiot; he had known about the risks, and knew he should have left a note at the very least, but he didn't blame Scorpius for wanting to see him, and he couldn't bring himself to regret the marvellous day he had just had.

"Just..." Harry seemed to deflate, the persona of worried parent fading away to reveal the tired, overworked man underneath, "Don't pull anything like that again, alright? I know you're seventeen, and you need your freedom, I just… I worry, that's all."

"I know, I'm sorry," Albus said, and he quickly smothered his surprise as his father hugged him briefly, "I promise I won't do anything as stupid again."

"Go on, off to bed," Harry said, patting Albus on the shoulder, "you've got a lot of packing left to do."

"Yes, Dad," Albus said, feeling considerably brighter knowing he wasn't in  _too_  much trouble. Sure, losing his Hogsmeade privilege was pretty annoying, but it could have been much, much worse. His father could have forbidden him from seeing Scorpius, or something equally awful.

When he got to his room, he wasn't at all surprised to see Lily sitting on his bed, grinning from ear to ear.

"I didn't show Dad the letter," She said proudly, "I don't know what he'd've thought about the whole 'I love you' part, though I thought it was sweet."

"Go away," Albus grumbled, but Lily stayed put.

"Next time you go sneaking off, at least tell me first," Lily said, winking conspiratorially, "I'll keep Dad off your back."

"Whatever," Albus replied. Lily shrugged and hopped off the bed, flouncing across the room.

"Did you and Scorpius have a good day?" She asked, pausing at the door and looking expectantly at her older brother.

Albus relaxed a little, smiling at her, "Yeah, we had a brilliant day."

Sure, he was an idiot, but he wouldn't take back the day he'd just had for all the world.


	56. Let Them In

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is named after the song 'let them in' by pvris, and i'm sorry in advance... i literally put off writing this for as long as possible, and even if you may hate me, i hope you enjoy this chapter!

**Chapter 49: Let Them In**

"I want to feel something that's not the weight of your world in my head"

When Albus awoke on the morning of September 1st, it was, as usual, due to his little sister leaping onto the bed and shaking him awake, refusing to listen to his groggy complaints. He hadn't slept well; he'd been tossing and turning into the early hours of the morning, his mind going round in circles at the thought of returning to Hogwarts.

At one point he'd gotten up and finished packing all of his stuff into his trunk, hoping that maybe that would help him drift off at last, and it had, but he hadn't realised Lily would come to wake him at such an ungodly hour. He sat up and glanced blearily at the clock, resolutely ignoring Lily who was beaming smugly at him.

"It's not even six in the morning yet, Lily," He grumbled, "how do you manage to wake up so early?"

"This isn't early," She said brightly, "and besides… Nothing makes the morning better than seeing your grumpy face."

"You're the worst sister in the world," Albus said, rubbing sleep from his eyes and wondering when he would next get the chance to sneak in a nap. Knowing Lily, not until they were on the Hogwarts Express and he could get away from her.

"I know," She agreed, "it's an art. Now, tell me properly about your day yesterday, and I will consider making you a coffee."

Yawning, he began to recount the previous day, grinning at the memories that he was certain would last a lifetime. He even told Lily about getting separated from Scorpius, knowing that she, with her equally hopeless sense of direction, would be sympathetic. She sighed happily when Albus mentioned holding Scorpius' hand, and when Albus had finished, she went off on a tangent about how worried everyone had been about him.

"I knew you'd be alright," She said, "even before I spotted the letter. Just be glad Mum was preoccupied with Order stuff last night, she seemed about ready to tear your head off."

Albus winced at the thought of facing her, and wondered if she felt his dad's punishment was adequate, "Do you think she'll have calmed down yet?"

"Oh, almost certainly not," Lily patted his knee, "I'd stay out of her way as much as possible this morning if I were you. Now come on, I promised you caffeine, and I want you to actually be awake when I ask you a million and one questions about Fifth Year."

"Hooray," Albus said sarcastically, pulling on an old dressing gown that would be staying at home for the year. Lily scowled back at him, but as promised she made him a coffee without complaint, and hummed quietly as she fixed up a bowl of cereal for herself and Albus.

"Are OWLs really as hard as everyone says?" She wondered as Albus slurped noisily at his coffee, ignoring Lily, who was pulling faces of disgust at him.

"Harder," Albus said seriously, "be prepared to live in the library from about March onwards."

"But I'm Quidditch captain! And prefect!" She whined, the thought of all the work making her look genuinely forlorn, "Do they want me to actually drop dead of exhaustion?"

"Lily, honestly, it'll be alright," He said encouragingly, putting down his cup to show that he truly meant what he said, "if it all gets too much, the teachers are understanding – well, some of them. Don't expect sympathy from Professor Binns. And if being Quidditch captain is too hard, then don't force it. I'm sure everyone will be relieved not to lose to Hufflepuff this year."

"Shut up," She said with a grin, "but thanks. Good luck with Seventh Year."

"I'll need it," Albus replied, "if only  _felix felicis_  weren't banned..."

A little while later, James stumbled into the kitchen in his pyjamas, looking barely conscious, pulling a carton of orange juice from the fridge and downing it, seemingly unaware of the presence of anyone else in the room.

"Ugh, James, you're disgusting!" Lily scoffed as James started at her voice, then shrugged and put the empty carton back in the fridge.

"Ah, the infamous troublemaker makes an appearance at last," James said with a grin, ignoring Lily completely as he playfully ruffled Albus' hair, "I didn't know you had it in you. I'm impressed."

"Thanks, I think," Albus said grudgingly, "that's enough to put me off ever sneaking out again."

"And my job as responsible eldest sibling is done." James said with an overly dramatic bow, "What about you, Lils? Not getting any ideas from your dreadfully irresponsible older brother, are you?"

"Who says I've never snuck out before?" She asked, punching James in the shoulder. Albus sighed and rolled his eyes before draining his coffee, shuddering at the taste despite years of drinking it.

"Excuse me?" All three children froze as Harry sauntered into the kitchen, a copy of the Daily Prophet rolled up under his arm.

"Obviously, I've never snuck out in my life!" Lily spluttered unconvincingly.

"Honestly, I'd be more worried if you hadn't," Harry said, taking a seat at the table and spreading the broadsheet out across it, frowning at the headline as he did most mornings, "it's practically a rite of passage. You kids seem to forget that I was a student myself, a long time ago, and I got into my fair share of trouble."

"From what I remember, it was much more than your fair share," Ginny entered the kitchen then, kissing her husband on the cheek. Albus stared fixedly at his coffee, unwilling to meet her eye, "Albus, come on, I'm not angry any more. You got told off, and you received a suitable punishment, and believe it or not, I'm a reasonable woman."

He glanced up warily; his mother looked surprisingly calm, and he let out a breath he hadn't realised he had been holding. With that resolved, things felt right again, "I'm sorry anyway."

James laughed raucously, "Oh, that's nothing. You should've seen the telling off I got after beating up that Slytherin Quidditch captain right before the end of Seventh Year. He deserved it, the bloody big git, he was calling us all sorts of horrid names, but obviously no one listened to me."

"No one ever does," Lily said tartly, and with James' jinx in response, the morning resumed in its usual fashion, with petty arguments and pancakes, which Lily devoured as avidly as she had the cereal. Albus watched his family fondly, wishing that the whole of summer had been like this, and that they could have gone on holiday, done all of the usual things, and had the chance to be a real family.

Instead, with Albus' injury that had left him unable to walk for several weeks, as well as all of the fear and terror that had surrounded them at all times, they had never been able to just  _be_ , and it made Albus all the more determined to end the Pureblood Knights once and for all. His parents deserved peace most of all, and Albus knew he couldn't rest until he could give that to them.

In what seemed like almost no time at all, Albus was dressed, had levitated his heavy trunk down the stairs and into the hallway, and was sitting on it anxiously, desperate now just to be on the Hogwarts Express and return to his beloved school, but most of all he couldn't wait to see Scorpius. They may have spent the previous day together, but this was different. They would see all of their friends, and exchange gossip.

Albus wistfully imagined telling Stella and Marcus about him and Scorpius. He could hear Stella's shriek echoing through the carriage, could feel Marcus clapping him on the back and telling him that he had known all along, even though Albus very much doubted that. The four of them would go on double dates, when he was allowed to go to Hogsmeade again, and with his friends around him once more he would be unstoppable. Saturday mornings would once again be spent in the Room of Requirement, making their own small mark against the Pureblood Knights.

"Ready?" Harry asked, joining Albus on the trunk, as there was plenty of room for two.

Albus nodded; he really was ready.

"I never got to be a Seventh Year, remember," Harry said, almost mournfully, "make sure to send me plenty of letters, so I can live vicariously through you. I did ask James to do the same, but you know what he was like..."

"And you'll send me letters, too?" He asked, uncertainty creeping into his tone, "I just… I know I'll worry about you, and about Mum, and even about James."

"Of course," Harry squeezed his shoulder before getting to his feet with a groan, "we'll make sure you don't have to read about it in the Daily Prophet first, if something… happens. Why I still insist on reading that rag, I do not know..."

Harry wandered off, muttering to himself. Albus grinned, before checking once again that he had everything he would need. This took some time, and when he was finished, Ginny swanned into the hall, announcing that it was time to leave. He had already said goodbye to James, who had had an early start at the Ministry of Magic, and so the four of them piled into Harry's scrappy old car, eager to be on their way but anxious to be separated once more.

Albus couldn't contain the thrill of excitement that went through him as King's Cross came into view, the same thrill that went through him every year on September 1st. This year, they arrived in plenty of time, and were in no hurry as they unloaded the trunks onto a rickety trolley, and headed into the station. Running through the barrier onto Platform 9 and ¾ was as terrifying as ever, and Albus shut his eyes tightly as did so.

When he opened his eyes again, the familiar sight of the gleaming, scarlet Hogwarts Express greeted him, with steam already billowing into the crisp morning air. Albus joined his family as they edged along the already bustling platform, searching for familiar faces. He soon spotted Marcus and Stella a little further down the concourse, already wrapped up in nothing but each other.

At last he managed to catch Stella's eye, and she beamed at him as he waved awkwardly at the two of them and tried to fight his way through the crowd towards her and Marcus. Albus noticed plenty of anxious looking First Years, and wondered if he had really been as tiny and wide-eyed as them; yet here he was now, about to enter his very last year at Hogwarts.

"Albus!" He turned at the sound of his name, faint as it was, and saw a familiar face with pale grey eyes and silky blonde hair struggling towards him. Marcus and Stella would understand, once he had told them about everything between him and Scorpius, so he edged back along the platform, never losing sight of him.

"Hi!" He said, grinning, "It's so good to see you!"

"You too!" Scorpius enthused, leaning forward slightly as if to kiss him on the cheek and then deciding it was perhaps better not to in such a public place, "Even if it has barely been more than twelve hours."

"That's long enough for my liking," Albus said, suddenly aware of all the pairs of eyes on him. He was about to say his farewells to his family and go and find a nice empty compartment on the train before it began to fill up, when suddenly everything went dark, as if someone had simply turned off the sun.

"Scorpius?" He shouted, feeling blindly about himself. It was pitch black, unnaturally so, and fear began to rise thick and heavy in his stomach as he considered what could have caused this, and only one thing came to mind – the Pureblood Knights. Around him, the crowd were beginning to panic, pushing in on him and each other.

Albus tried to summon some kind of magic without his wand, hoping to do something, anything, to chase away this impenetrable darkness, but the gates in his mind remained firmly shut. He scrambled desperately in his pocket for his wand, but when he finally managed to extricate it, his prized possession was yanked out of his hand by one of the many people surging past him. For what felt like the first time in a long time, Albus was well and truly hopeless. There was nothing he could do, and that thought terrified him almost as much as the darkness and the screaming and the all-consuming panic.

Part of him wanted simply to give up, to sit down on the floor and curl up in a ball, sobbing uselessly, until the danger was over. He would probably be crushed by the crowd, but fear of that was secondary to fear of what might have been lurking in the dark. Nothing made sense anymore; the world was darkness, and Albus could no longer tell up from down. He began to feel dizzy, his head spinning, as around him lights began to pierce the darkness, but they were faint, far too faint, and he still couldn't make anything out.

A freezing cold hand closed around his wrist, and he should have been afraid, but the part of him that hoped and prayed it might be Scorpius was too strong, so he allowed himself to be pulled along through the nothingness. Perhaps he was safe now; perhaps the danger was only just beginning. It all seemed rather inconsequential now, somehow.

"Albus?" The familiar, panicked voice rose above the fray, at once familiar and horrifying and slightly too far away, and Albus recoiled from the hand around his wrist, but it was too late; the grip only tightened. There was nothing he could do as the world around him stopped making sense altogether and he was falling, falling…

* * *

 

When Albus at last awoke, it was to a dull throbbing on the side of his head, as if something had struck him there, though he had no memory of it. His mouth felt dry, his throat hoarse, perhaps from shouting, perhaps from screaming; his memories of King's Cross and Platform 9 and ¾ were hazy and came back to him slowly.

Everything clicked back into place at last; the all-consuming darkness and that too-cold hand and the panic – Merlin, the panic. Albus opened his eyes, ignoring the way his head screamed at him in protest, and squinted at the sudden light that flooded his vision with the action. The brick wall in front of him was unfamiliar, and he felt fear rise in him all over again, more potent than ever before. He glanced around, too dizzy to move yet, but all he could see was more grey bricks.

He was lying on his side, and his arm had gone numb underneath him. The floor beneath him was cold and hard, and his entire body ached almost as much as his head. What the hell had happened? And where was he?

_Scorpius_. The thought came to him suddenly, pushing away all concern for his own safety and wellbeing. Albus sat up at last, suppressing a groan as his vision momentarily went dark, all full of stars. When he saw the metal bars in front of him, he couldn't possibly have stopped the scream that escaped his lips.

_Shit_! He pressed his palm against his mouth, willing himself into silence. The very last thing he wanted was to alert anybody to his presence, even if he was in what was very much a prison cell. He thought momentarily back to the Third Task of the Triwizard Tournament, and the coin he had innocently picked up off of the grass, and how relieved his parents had been to find him safe after what had only been a number of hours. Somehow he got the impression that this would be much, much worse.

"Who's there?" The voice was faint and barely above a whisper, but he recognised it instantly, from the nights spent lying in bed together having whispered conversations, being careful not to wake Marcus though they knew there was little chance.

"Scorpius," He breathed. If the other boy was here with him, somewhere, then surely – surely – all hope could not be lost. For the first time his eyes focused beyond the iron bars, and what he saw there sent anger bubbling through him, threatening to burst out of him in a wave of magic – if only he weren't so damned scared! With nowhere to go, the anger sputtered out, like a flame starved of oxygen, replaced by cold, creeping fear, permeating every part of himself.

Across the way, behind bars of his own, which Albus could still hardly fathom, was Scorpius, pulling himself up into a sitting position with shaking arms. He had been blindfolded, and the fabric pressed tightly to his face was wet, as if Scorpius had been crying. Albus wanted to scream all over again, but he settled for clenching and unclenching his fists, wondering just what hell he would unleash when he at last could.

"Albus?" Scorpius hurriedly tugged off the blindfold, discarding it on the floor beside him. When he spotted Albus he clasped a hand to his mouth, as if the very sight of him was enough to set the tears off all over again. Albus wouldn't blame him in the slightest. His voice was rough, like the jagged edge of a knife.

Albus crept forward until he could touch the bars, and glanced either way. There was a door to his left, but it was closed. To his right lay nothing but shadow, but he was certain he could see a wall through it. A lamp burned on the wall outside, apparently the only light in this place, whatever it was, but it had been enough to nearly blind Albus when he had first opened his eyes. For all that he could tell, they were alone. For now.

"What the fuck is going on?" He asked, the words coming out in a rush of breath.

"I wish I knew," Scorpius said, wrapping his arms around his legs as if to make himself as small as possible. His grey eyes were wide and ringed with red, and Albus wished he could reach out and brush that stray tear from his cheek, but there was no chance he could reach.

"You don't think it's..." Albus began, trailing off, hardly daring to voice his thoughts, as if the very words themselves could summon that mysterious evil. He had heard his parents talk of the same magic being applied to Lord Voldemort's name, and he didn't dare risk such a thing.

Scorpius simply nodded, his face as pale as Albus had ever seen it.

"Who else?" Albus said with a dry, entirely humourless laugh. Was this what it was going to come to, then? He looked about himself, at the thin pallet in the corner that he supposed might pass as a bed, if the situation grew so desperate. There was a small bowl of water, which he grabbed and sipped at, cautiously. It tasted alright, but he left it, unsure of how long they were likely to be left in here alone. In the other corner was a bucket, but he resisted all unpleasant thoughts of that.

"My parents..." Scorpius murmured, "They headed straight back to Germany this morning after I'd left the hotel. They might not even know yet."

Albus felt his heart leap in his chest as he thought about his own family. He didn't even know if they were safe, if they had also been victims of the attack on King's Cross. The darkness had been so overwhelming; the thought of his little sister, caught up in that, and all of those First Years who had been so nervous and excited. There truly was nothing in his life that the Pureblood Knights wouldn't tarnish, and now they had him.

"We'll get through this," Albus said, more to convince himself than anything else, but if it helped Scorpius too, then it was worth it, "and your parents will be okay. Little Cassie, too."

Scorpius fell even further into himself at the mention of his baby sister, but he nodded, "We need to do it for them."

"Exactly," Albus replied. He and Scorpius would break out of here, and they would destroy the Pureblood Knights for everything they had done to harm them and their families. The thought of vengeance awakened something in him, a tiny flicker of hope that he would get out of this, and his family would be safe, and he and Scorpius could return to Hogwarts and live their lives like they had been so desperate to do.

"They took my wand," Scorpius muttered, frowning, "what about you? Can you use your wandless magic?"

"I don't know..." Albus admitted quietly, "I've been too afraid up until now. I tried, back in King's Cross, but it was useless."

"It's okay," Scorpius said, his voice muffled from where his face was pressed against his arms, "I was pretty useless back there, too. Some Gryffindor."

"I'm sure we did what we could," Albus soothed, "but that darkness, it was so sudden, so..."

"Dark?" Scorpius raised a pale eyebrow. Albus breathed out a sigh; he supposed that if they were going to be trapped in here, they should at least try to find some humour somewhere. Scorpius had always been un almost unlimited source before, and he was certain that the other boy was his key to staying sane in here, to regaining his magic, which was still lost to him. He had hoped the anger and the need for vengeance would bring it back, but all of his attempts had been futile; last time he had tried, there had been no gate in his mind at all. Albus tried not to let it worry him as much as it should have. It was, apart from Scorpius and thoughts of revenge, his only remaining source of hope.

"This is such bullshit," Albus couldn't help but mutter bitterly to himself. In only his t-shirt and jeans, as he had yet to change into his Hogwarts robes, he was beginning to feel the chill of this place, and he rubbed at his arms, wondering just how the hell his life seemed to be ruined by the Pureblood Knights so often.

"I just wish we knew why we were here," Scorpius wondered, his gaze distant, "I mean, what part do we even have to play in all of this? Like, are we important to them?"

"Beats me," Albus said sullenly, and was about to add something more reassuring when the door was flung open, and the only thing on his mind was sheer terror.

The figure that stepped into the room was only too familiar in billowing ebony robes and a dark, almost featureless mask. Albus felt himself shuffling backwards, if only to retreat as far away from the figure as he physically could, and he could see Scorpius doing the same. Part of him wanted to be brave, to stand up against the enemy, but a bigger part of him favoured self-preservation, and perhaps wisely so.

"What the hell are we doing here?" Scorpius demanded suddenly, getting to his feet on wobbly legs to face the enemy. Albus wished with all that had that he could possess that same level of bravery, but instead he feared for Scorpius' life, for his own life, for the lives of everyone he knew.

"All in good time," The figure said, chuckling darkly behind the mask, his voice low and rasping, "we have you right where we want you. I can only imagine how your families must be feeling right now."

"So they're safe?" Albus swallowed his fear and finally dared to speak, though he stayed there with his back to the wall, trying to disguise the way he was trembling from head to toe.

"Now, why should I tell you that?" Albus scowled at the smug tone of voice; there was clearly no point trying to reason with them. He just hoped that his instincts were right, and that it was simply him and Scorpius in here, as terrifying as it all was.

"Let us go!" Scorpius said harshly, pushing futilely against the bars, which only elicited more laughter from the robed and masked figure.

"Little chance of that, I'm afraid," The voice was almost breezy, as if this were just an ordinary, every day conversation, and they weren't prisoners of the Pureblood Knights, "we wouldn't want to lose our perfect bargaining chips."

So that was why they were here – that was all they were; bargaining chips.

"This is crazy!" Scorpius punched the bars, wincing as his fist struck the metal, "You're crazy!"

The figure shrugged, "Maybe so. Maybe in time, you'll come to understand why we do what we do. There are things you still can't even begin to comprehend, though your parents should have told you instead of bringing you up as a  _Mudblood_. You are one of us, after all, when it comes down to it."

"I'll never be one of you!" Scorpius spat, shoving himself back from the bars and beginning to pace around, "and don't you dare even mention my parents. They're better people than you'll ever be. My father told me what he did during the last war, and I forgive him."

"Your father is a filthy traitor," The figure shouted, pulling his wand from his pocket and pointing it in Scorpius' direction. Scorpius froze, eyes wide.

"No!" Albus cried out, trying to direct his magic towards the dark figure still hovering in the doorway, but it was useless. Trying to grasp onto his magic felt like trying to grasp onto smoke with his bare hands; there was nothing tangible there, not anymore.

"Now, now, Albus Potter," The figure lowered his wand and turned to face Albus, "don't think we don't know all about your wandless magic. Thankfully, we have a few gifted Potions Masters among our ranks, and they've managed to craft a little something that should keep you from causing us too much trouble."

Albus glanced down at the bowl of water and shuddered involuntarily. It wasn't as if he could just stop drinking water, after all, but perhaps he could try to test the limits of the potion, whatever it was. It had been colourless and flavourless, after all; how was he supposed to avoid something when he couldn't even sense it?

"You're monsters," Scorpius whispered. He locked eyes with Albus, and Albus wished he could reach out and touch him, comfort him, convince him that they were going to get out of this, even though he was now entirely unsure himself. Albus had been counting on his magic, and now it was gone, he had lost one of his only sources of hope, few and far between as they were.

"Now you're getting it," The man said, and Albus could almost sense him grinning behind his mask, "why don't you settle in? You might be here for a while."

With that, the figure turned and swept out of the room. The door closed with a decisive thud, and the sound of a key turning in the lock only made the situation all the more real, all the more terrible. Across from him, Scorpius fell to floor and began to sob into his hands. Something within Albus ached keenly, but he felt much the same way. He felt too exhausted, too wrung-out, for tears.

In another life, Albus would be on the Hogwarts Express with his friends, or perhaps even in the Great Hall, watching the First Years be sorted and laughing along with Stella and Marcus at how small they all were. Time had no meaning here, where there were no windows. They had taken the watch from his wrist, his coming of age present from his parents. How much more could they take from him? Surely there could not be much left to give.

Albus was sure that time did indeed continue to pass as he and Scorpius sat in silence, only metres away from one another, but worlds apart. He could think of nothing to say that would make it all alright. He was aware of the passage of time only by the way his stomach began to growl and his eyes began to itch with tiredness, but he continued to sit in silence, wishing that he could cry like Scorpius had, if only for something to separate him from the overwhelming numbness and lethargy that he was beginning to feel.

At some point, another robed figure came in, startling Albus out of his reveries, but it was only to give them each a plate of food, which Albus ate almost robotically, barely tasting it or bothering to wonder whether that potion the other figure had talked about was mixed into it. He just wanted to be in his dorm at Hogwarts, with Scorpius' arms around him, and nothing else mattered.

"When this is through," Scorpius murmured once they had both finished eating and were alone once more, "we'll make them pay, you and me."

Albus could only nod, feeling fatigue begin to overwhelm him completely. He lifted his arm with what little energy he had left, reaching through the bars towards Scorpius, who stretched his own arm out. Their fingers lingered in the air, mere centimetres from each other. They couldn't even touch each other, and that hurt more than Albus could possibly have imagined.

Albus let his arm drop back down, feeling tears form at last, thick and heavy as they spilled out of his eyes and down his cheeks.

"I'll get you out of this," He said to Scorpius, "I promise."

However, he had a feeling that promises meant nothing anymore, not in this hell that he and Scorpius now found themselves in. They had gotten through everything that life had thrown at them thus far, but this – this was just too much.

Scorpius was right about one thing – when they got out, there would be hell to pay, and the price was higher than it had ever been before.


	57. A Mess Like This

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm so, so sorry that this chapter took such a long time! i hate seeing characters suffer, much less write about it... but the less said about that now, the better. this chapter is named after the song 'a mess like this' by the dø. i'd say enjoy, but...

"You were the worst idea I ever had"

Albus had never considered himself a hero. He had done heroic things, sure, he didn't try to deny that, but next to his father, the Saviour of the Wizarding World, he was just a boy, and he was frightened, and that had never been more clear than in the prison cell the Pureblood Knights were keeping him in.

How could he stand up to the villains when they so clearly had the upper hand? How could he be the hero when, for all that he could tell, he had already lost?

These thoughts turned over and over in Albus' head as he lay on the pallet that passed for a bed in the corner of the cell, little better than the stone floor itself. He could hear Scorpius' slow, gentle breathing in the other cell, and hoped that the boy he loved and wished to protect above all others was finding some escape from it all in sleep. Some small part of him felt a pang of jealousy that the other boy could find rest here, but that wasn't fair of him.

Albus had no clue how long he had been in here, but it can't have been for much longer than twelve hours or so, and already he felt like he was beginning to lose his mind. He turned over, his muscles aching in protest, and closed his eyes decisively. There was little chance of a good night's sleep, however he eventually began to drift off into a fitful sleep, plagued by nightmares of dark shadows and enclosed spaces.

When Albus awoke at last, unsure if he had slept for two hours or ten, he became aware of a presence outside the cell. He tried to quell the panic growing quickly inside of him, and opened his eyes slowly, taking in the sight of the familiar robed figure standing by the door. There was just one small difference – this figure was unmasked, and Albus, despite bleary eyes, was certain he recognised him.

"Vincent?" Albus asked, his voice rough and scratchy from sleep. He sat up uncertainly, ignoring the aches that permeated his entire body and focusing on Scorpius, who miraculously slept on. He looked unharmed and hopelessly innocent, his thumb in his mouth. Albus tried not to watch him too fondly, instead focusing on his old dorm mate, who stood leaning against the door, looking completely unbothered by any of this.

"Good to see a familiar face, I bet," Vincent said with a sardonic grin.

Vincent Goyle looked much the way Albus remembered him; cruel eyes in a cruel face, his large stature taking up the space and demanding attention. It was strange to see Vincent without his usual cronies, Richie Spencer and Laurence Marr, with whom he had shared his dorm for several years, but he couldn't help but be relieved just to be in the presence of one of them. He would rather have not seen any of them, but here, in this place, it clearly couldn't be helped.

"If you were the last person in the world, I don't think I'd be glad to see your face," Albus said gruffly.

"You've kept your sense of humour, I see," Vincent said, crossing his arms. He was probably supposed to look imposing, but in the flowing, slightly too-long robes, and his scowling expression, he just looked slightly ridiculous. It was just a small thing, but somehow it made Albus feel just a little better; that perhaps, behind some of those masks, there were notoriously bumbling fools like Vincent.

"It's hard not to, with people like you around," Albus grinned even as Vincent pulled out his wand and pointed it through the horrible bars of the cell, the scowl on his face only accentuating the cruelty in his eyes, but Albus refused to be afraid until Vincent actually did something to hurt him, which he was hoping would never happen.

"Stop!" A voice cried out, and it was Scorpius, his voice cracking from both fear and from being recently awoken. Albus' attention fixed to his boyfriend, to the look of horror on his face, unusually pallid even for Scorpius, and the tufts of blonde hair sticking up around his face like a jagged halo. Albus tried to convey a look that said he was alright, that he had everything under control, but Scorpius didn't seem convinced.

Vincent's attention turned to Scorpius, and his wand dropped back to his side as he turned to face the other boy. Albus winced and edged closer to the bars; he had been hoping to keep Vincent's attention away from Scorpius, but that plan had failed miserably.

"Scorpius Malfoy," He said in a slow drawl, "I'm not surprised to find you in here."

"Leave us alone, Vincent!" Scorpius replied in a half-yell, getting to his feet and facing Vincent Goyle on slightly more even terms, if one ignored the bars between them. Albus couldn't, and he prayed that Scorpius didn't do anything stupid, though he knew that such a thing was far more likely on Vincent's part.

"Don't you want to know what part you play in all of this?" Vincent asked, his tone condescending and considering all at once.

"No, I'd like to get the hell out of here, to be honest," Scorpius spat, his voice like venom. His eyes were cold grey steel, flat and emotionless. They made Albus' heart constrict in his chest.

"I don't think you'll want to go anywhere once you find out why you're here," Vincent smiled knowingly, and Scorpius froze, his hands clenched into fists at his side.

"What could you possibly have to share?" Scorpius asked, "What do you possibly think could ever keep me here?"

"Oh, I can think of a few things," Said a cool, feminine voice from outside the room. A cloaked figure stepped casually into the room and came to a halt next to Vincent, and Albus swore vehemently at the familiar face and long, curling brown hair. It was Astoria, Scorpius' mother, except -

It wasn't. The woman standing in front of him with her hand on resting on Vincent's shoulder was too tall, and her features were off. Her smile was nothing like Scorpius' mother's, her features lacked all of the warmth that Albus had come to recognise as uniquely Astoria.

Scorpius had gone pale, his usually pallid features ghostlike in the dark, dingy cell. Albus met his eyes, and saw confusion there matching his own. How he wished he could hold on to Scorpius, how he wished this could all just be over.

"Who are you?" Scorpius asked in barely more than a whisper.

The woman laughed, throwing her head back, "That is so like dear Astoria, to keep the existence of her own sister hidden."

Albus frowned as things began coming together. This woman – somehow – was Scorpius' aunt. He could see nothing of her in Scorpius, and for that he was glad, especially if she was a part of the Pureblood Knights, which he couldn't help but think she might be.

"You're… you're my aunt Daphne?" Scorpius demanded, his eyes wide and pale in an even paler face, "She mentioned you once or twice, I always assumed you'd moved away, or… Or that you didn't get along."

"We certainly didn't," Daphne's eyes were narrowed, "especially once she learned I was pregnant with Vincent, here. She and Draco never did approve of my relationship with Gregory, not once they had cut all ties with our world. I still don't know what she saw in your father. I don't know that I care enough to find out."

"Wait," Scorpius spluttered, his eyes fixed on Vincent, who was smiling smugly up at his mother, "Vincent Goyle is my cousin? I can't believe I never knew."

"Believe me, it's no loss to me," Vincent said with a shrug, "I'm not sure I'd want to have spent my childhood going to dinners and brunches with a load of good for nothing Mudblood sympathisers."

"Excuse me?" Scorpius spat, his knuckles white as he wrapped his hands around the bars of his cell, "How dare you! My parents are kind, decent people – Dad's a surgeon! He saves lives on a daily basis. What good have you done for the world? Certainly nothing more than spew your hatred about blood purity which, I hate to tell you, is a load of bullshit."

Daphne Greengrass rolled her eyes in a fashion that was frighteningly similar to Scorpius, "You do sound so like my sister. She always did try to get along with… Their sort. Astoria always says she regretted being a Slytherin, though she didn't seem so bothered by it when we were at the Battle of Hogwarts, hiding in the dungeons away from the danger."

"Why are we here?" Albus asked, finding his voice. For the past few moments he had been overwhelmed by Daphne's revelations, but he knew that while she was down here with them, he might as well try and find out more, since Vincent had hardly been forthcoming.

"Ah, Albus Potter speaks at last," She turned on him then, fixing him with intense blue eyes that seemed to pierce his very soul. He could feel almost feel the revulsion coming off her in waves, "the son of The Boy Who Lived, and we have him here, in our grip. How must that feel to him, I wonder?"

"He's going to find you, you know." Albus said resolutely, "And when he does, you'll be sorry. All of you will."

Albus had fixed Vincent Goyle with a glare, but the other boy simply chuckled. The mention of his father made him sick with dread, wondering how his family must be feeling right about now. In the aftermath of the chaos at King's Cross, how long had it taken for everyone to realise he and Scorpius were gone? Had it taken them long to come to the conclusion that the Pureblood Knights had taken them?

"I just don't understand why," Albus said in a mumble, hating himself for the way his voice shook. He tried to reach inside himself, for that strong and innate sense of magic, but there was still nothing there, "why any of this? Why the hatred? Why all of these attacks, and… and the murder?"

"You really don't see?" Daphne laughed, brushing aside any mention of murder, making Albus' skin crawl, "you all thought you were so safe, after the Dark Lord had been vanquished. You thought peace had been achieved. Well, those of who believed in his ideals remained, those of us who understand that Wizarding blood has to be kept pure. We couldn't voice our opinions out in the open, of course, but we waited, biding our time, until you grew content, certain that your perceived evil had been defeated. Worst of all, after twenty years you grew sloppy, and that's what allowed us to make our voices heard once more, to gather a substantial following.

"And I was right. All of this time, I was right. We, the Pureblood Knights, have risen from the ashes of the Death Eaters, and the Wizarding World is in complete disarray." She grinned smugly.

"You mean to say..." Scorpius began, fumbling on his words, his eyes focused solely on his aunt. "You mean to say that you did all of this… just because you could? Then… Why me? Why Albus? Why go to all these lengths just to capture us? Do you think my parents are just going to renounce their ways, that after spending twenty years trying desperately to carve a name for themselves away from all of this bullshit, they're just going to come crawling back because their son's in danger? I think they deserve more credit than that."

Daphne shrugged as if it were all the same to her, "I've long since given up hope of my sister ever returning. This isn't about revenge, it's so much more than that. This is about chaos – for the Wizarding World, for all of the filthy Mudbloods that think they have a right to inhabit it."

"Not only are your views particularly antiquated, but you're also batshit crazy. Go figure." Scorpius scowled up at his aunt, who merely smiled that disarming smile of hers.

Vincent took a step forward and raised his wand, "Don't you dare speak to my mother like that! You deserve to be in that cage, just like the rest of them should be."

"Now, now, dear," Daphne said soothingly, "he may be a Muggle sympathiser, but he's still your cousin. Albus Potter, however… I have no such qualms about him. Do as you wish."

"Leave him alone!" Scorpius shouted, his knuckles stark white as he clenched his fists around the bars. Albus willed him to be silent, to make as little fuss as possible, to leave the true extent of their relationship alone. Merlin only knew what they would do then, and Albus had no wish to find out.

"Oh, isn't it touching?" Daphne said derisively. Vincent merely scoffed, but slowly lowered his wand back to his side. Albus tried to fight them using his wandless magic, straining against the wall in his mind, but there was not so much as a breath of wind, a stirring of air. If he could only do something, if he could only be of some use… If he could only break them out. He suddenly felt exhausted, more so than he ever had before. More than anything, right now, he wished that Vincent and his mother would stop their taunting, would give he and Scorpius some peace. Albus knew his boyfriend would still be reeling at the news of his newfound family, and would only be beating himself up, convincing himself that he was no better than them, and would need Albus to get him through it.

But Daphne and Vincent continued their taunting and thinly veiled insults, and Albus felt his anger at the Pureblood Knights renewed. Even under the dullness of the fatigue and hopelessness, he felt the anger burning bright inside him, and he only wished that he could use that anger, harness it, fuel his wandless magic – but it was to no avail.

"How long do you even expect to keep this up?" Scorpius demanded, "Do you just think you're going to be able to keep us here forever? Don't you think that eventually you're going to get bored, or we're going to find a way out of here?"

Scorpius' questions seemed rather reasonable to Albus, but Daphne merely laughed, "Scorpius, dear, have you not worked out where we are yet?"

"No..." Scorpius frowned, "It's not like it matters. We'll get out of here."

"If only you weren't in the last place on this earth that anyone, especially your father, would be likely to visit," She smiled, almost indulgently, and the sight made Albus shudder, "no matter that it has been abandoned for over twenty years now, ever since your traitorous grandmother fled following the Battle of Hogwarts, and your grandfather was sent to Azkaban. Such a shame he died there, really. I'm sure he would have aided our cause greatly."

"Shut up!" Albus shouted, all too aware of the way Scorpius appeared to be folding in on himself. His eyes, which only seconds before had been shining with anger, were now a dull and lifeless grey, and his hands fell to his sides with defeat.

"Malfoy Manor..." Scorpius whispered. Albus had heard vague mentions of the Malfoy family's ancestral home and a little of what had happened here, and the thought that he was in that very same place, in that very same dungeon where Luna Lovegood, his sister's namesake, had been imprisoned, was enough to make him feel the very same sense of defeat that Scorpius seemed to radiate as he finally stepped away from the bars and slid down the wall onto the floor, curling up on himself.

"And isn't it lovely to be home?" Daphne jeered.

"Go away," Scorpius murmured. All of the fight that had been in him only moments prior was lost, and Albus ached to hold him, to comfort him, to whisper in his ear that everything would be okay, that their ordeal would soon be over. It mattered little that he didn't believe it himself.

"Very well," Daphne acquiesced, still smiling that sickly sweet smile, "come, Vincent. Don't try anything, boys – we'll know, and you'll only make things worse for yourselves. And don't worry, someone will be along in a little while to make sure you're fed and watered. Do make yourselves at home, why don't you."

Vincent sneered and left the room without another look back. Albus only wished he could hex his former dormitory mate into oblivion. The time will come, he told himself with a great degree of uncertainty. Daphne soon followed, not even deigning to look in their directions, sweeping from the room with a swish of her long black cloak, and finally, mercifully, they were alone once more.

"Are you alright?" Albus asked cautiously.

"What do you think?" Scorpius snapped, wiping his nose on his sleeve and clearly not caring, or even noticing, that Albus could see.

With a sigh, Albus turned away, realising that it would be better to give Scorpius a little time to try and take in everything that had just happened. He lay down on his bed, facing the blank stone wall, and tried to think of possible ways he and Scorpius could get out of this, each idea more ridiculous and far-fetched than the last.

They were trapped here. And Scorpius didn't even want to talk to him.

Things had truly never been worse.

* * *

Albus was awoken from a fitful sleep several hours later by the sound of somebody whispering his name. Groaning, he sat up and turned towards the source of the noise. Scorpius sat in the other cell, face pressed to the bars, looking truly miserable.

"You're awake!" Scorpius said, smiling a small smile which faded quickly, "I just wanted to say I'm sorry. About earlier. I shouldn't have gotten angry at you, you did nothing to deserve it."

Albus got to his feet, muscles complaining in protest, and sat back down in front of the bars of his own cell. He shivered slightly despite his cloak, rubbing at his arms and wishing he could perform a quick spell to warm himself up – but if he could do that, he could perform any magic he wanted.

"You don't have to apologise." Albus said, "No – really. After everything that had just happened, everything you'd just found out… I can't even begin to imagine how hard this must all be for you."

Scorpius nodded, "To think, all this time, my aunt has been behind this..."

"We don't know that for sure," Albus tried to reassure him, "I mean, there's no denying she's one of them, but we don't know what part she plays in all of this. She could just be a lackey, or some underling, or..."

Scorpius shrugged his shoulders, "You might be right. But somehow this all kind of feels like their end game… They have you, the son of the Saviour of the Wizarding World, and me, the son of the man they consider to be the greatest traitor in the long and ridiculous history of Purebloods. Why else would they go to such extreme lengths?"

Albus couldn't help but sigh at that, "I wish I knew. I wish I could just tell you that none of this is real, that it's all just a nightmare… That any moment now you'll wake up and laugh at yourself for thinking any of this is real. I wish I could reassure you that some day soon this will all just seem like a nightmare. We'll be back at Hogwarts, and we'll all be alright. We'll be smiling again, laughing again."

But Albus knew that wishing was never going to get him anywhere. All he had left was Scorpius, and the vague hope that they would escape this. Scorpius reached out to him, and Albus felt his heart ache, knowing that they couldn't even touch each other.

"Oh, Albus," Scorpius murmured, letting his hand drop back to his side, "We're going to get through this. It's hell, but think of all the things we've gotten through before, just you and me. Think how strong we've been. We can get through this, together. You know I love you, right?"

Albus couldn't help but smile at hearing those three words, no matter how futile it all felt, "I do know. I love you too, more than anything, and somehow – somehow that makes it all worse, seeing you over there, behind those bars, and I can't even touch you, I can't even hold you. I wouldn't change what we have for the world, but right now it would be so much easier if – if I didn't feel this way. Merlin, I feel horrible for even thinking it."

"No, I – I know what you mean," Scorpius breathed, "but we're going to get out of here, alright? I know it doesn't seem possible but a few months ago the possibility of you ever feeling the way you do about me seemed nonexistent. You're proof, to me, that miracles are possible."

Hesitantly, Albus reached out his hand, and Scorpius did the same. The inches between them felt like miles, and what Albus wouldn't give to be just that much closer. He felt tears welling up in his eyes at Scorpius' words, and was about to respond with his own heartfelt declarations of love and hope and miracles when the door to the little dungeon was flown wide open and a robed, masked figure stepped inside.

Albus jumped back as if burned, not at all surprised to see Scorpius do the same.

"Well, well," An unfamiliar, masculine voice said with a sneer, leaving no doubt in Albus' mind that their relationship had been discovered, "I was told the two of you were friends, but I couldn't possibly have imagined this. A Malfoy and a Potter. A few of us weren't sure about keeping the two of you together anyway – and I'm sure Daphne will be fascinated to hear about this."

The stranger pulled his wand from his robes, sending a jolt of fear through Albus' stomach. This had been what Albus had feared, most of all; that they would be separated. Despite the hopelessness of the situation, with Scorpius there beside him he was certain he could have persevered. Now, however, as the man used a quick series of spells to bind Albus' hands and feet, and deftly unlocked the cell, it was clear that all hope was lost.

"No! Please!" Scorpius begged, shaking at the bars as if sheer force of will alone could tear them down. Albus could hardly bear to look at him, to say goodbye.

Albus struggled uselessly as the Pureblood Knight pulled him roughly from the cell, feeling hot tears already spilling down his cheeks. His last glimpse of Scorpius showed the resignation in the other boy's face, the despair that mirrored his own. He stopped fighting as he was led down a nondescript, dimly lit hallway. He could have used the opportunity to look for some way out, but his eyes were too bleary and full of tears, and before he had the chance to look around he was shoved unceremoniously into a room almost identical to the one he and Scorpius had shared, save that there was only one cell.

On being released, he simply curled up into a ball on the pallet that barely passed for a bed, his whole body shaking as he continued to cry. He lost all sense of time as he lay there, until eventually his weeping began to subside. The stranger must have thought him totally pathetic, and perhaps he was, but mercifully he had left Albus alone to his tears.

Still sniffling, he sat up, assessing his surroundings. On the floor sat a tray with some bland food, which he quickly devoured, careless of what it might have contained, of whether the water he drank might have contained the potion stopping him from accessing his wandless magic. Without Scorpius, he didn't care at all.

What would happen now that he was all alone? The realities of such a thing began to dawn on him. Would they leave him alone, or would they use his relationship with Scorpius to taunt him? Either way, he was exhausted. What little fight he might have had left in him had all but deserted him, and so he lay back down, closing his eyes and trying to think of something, anything, that didn't make his heart feel made of glass, like it was about to shatter.

Pushing away all thoughts of Scorpius, his family, and his friends, he focused solely on revenge, and soon drifted off, thinking of just how much the Pureblood Knights would have to pay when – if – he could fight his way out of there.


End file.
